SOVEREIGNTY and territorial integrity are the bedrock of the international order. For China, no issue is more closely tied to those principles than Taiwan. Beijing’s recent decision to impose countermeasures against two ministers from Paraguay and Belize reflects that reality. According to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, their visits to Taiwan, meetings with “Taiwan independence” separatist figures and promotion of allegations regarding Chinese cyberattacks constituted interference in China’s internal affairs and undermined China’s core interests. To understand Beijing’s response, one must look beyond the immediate controversy and examine the historical, legal and diplomatic foundations of China’s Taiwan policy.

For China, Taiwan is first and foremost a question of sovereignty, not diplomacy. Chinese historical records document administrative links between the mainland and Taiwan stretching back centuries. Under the Qing Dynasty, Taiwan became a province in 1885. Beijing maintains that the island’s separation from the mainland resulted from foreign aggression rather than self-determination. Japan acquired Taiwan under the 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki after the First Sino-Japanese War.

World War II reshaped the island’s status. The 1943 Cairo Declaration stated that territories seized by Japan from China, including Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, should be restored to China. The 1945 Potsdam Proclamation reaffirmed that commitment and Japan accepted those terms upon surrender. On 25 October 1945, Chinese authorities resumed administration of Taiwan. From Beijing’s perspective, these........

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