The Taiwan question has become the most sensitive and strategically consequential issue in contemporary China–United States relations.
While many in the West continue to interpret the issue primarily through the lenses of democracy, strategic competition, or semiconductor supply chains, Beijing views Taiwan through an entirely different historical, political, and civilisational framework.
For China, Taiwan is not merely a diplomatic dispute or geopolitical bargaining chip. It is a matter of sovereignty, territorial integrity, national rejuvenation, and historical justice.
This explains why Chinese officials consistently describe the Taiwan question as the “core of China’s core interests.”
It also explains why Beijing increasingly expects countries seeking deeper economic cooperation with China to clearly and unequivocally support the One China principle and oppose “Taiwan independence.”
Recent developments in Africa—particularly China’s expansion of zero-tariff treatment and preferential trade arrangements for African countries that firmly recognise the One China principle—demonstrate that the Taiwan issue is no longer merely diplomatic symbolism.
It has become deeply integrated into China’s global economic statecraft and strategic partnerships.
Taiwan and the historical memory of national humiliation
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To understand China’s position, one must first appreciate the historical context that shapes modern Chinese strategic thinking.
The issue of Taiwan is inseparable from what China calls the “Century of Humiliation,” a period from 1840 to 1949 when China suffered foreign invasions, unequal treaties, territorial fragmentation, colonial encroachment, and external domination.
Taiwan was ceded to Japan after the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895 under the Treaty of Shimonoseki.
For Chinese national consciousness, Taiwan symbolizes unfinished historical trauma caused by foreign aggression and territorial dismemberment.
When the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949, the defeated Kuomintang authorities retreated to Taiwan.
Since then, Beijing has unswervingly maintained that there is but one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory.
For the Communist Party of China and the Chinese nation, national rejuvenation cannot be fully realized without the eventual reunification of Taiwan with the mainland.
This is why Beijing treats the issue as existential and fundamentally non-negotiable.
Four pillars: Why Taiwan is considered non-negotiable
China’s firm position rests on four interconnected and irreducible pillars.
- Sovereignty and territorial integrity
Every sovereign state regards territorial integrity as sacred.
China views Taiwan through the same principle that all countries apply to separatist movements within their borders.
Beijing holds that any move toward “Taiwan independence” directly threatens the foundational territorial and sovereign foundations of the Chinese state.
Chinese policymakers emphasise that allowing formal Taiwan independence would set a dangerous precedent that could fuel separatist risks in other regions.
- Political legitimacy and national rejuvenation
The legitimacy of the Chinese state is closely tied to ending historical humiliation, defending national sovereignty, and achieving national rejuvenation.
Any perceived concession on Taiwan would be widely viewed domestically as a failure to uphold national dignity and a betrayal of China’s historical mission.
This is why Chinese leaders repeatedly stress that the Taiwan question cannot be passed down indefinitely from generation to generation.
- Strategic geopolitical security
Taiwan occupies a critical position in the Western Pacific, located along the “First Island Chain.”
From Beijing’s perspective, if Taiwan were permanently aligned militarily with external powers, China’s maritime access, strategic depth, and overall security environment would be severely constrained.
Taiwan’s geographic location therefore carries existential military and geopolitical significance.
- Nationalism and public sentiment
Support for national reunification across the Taiwan Strait is deeply embedded in Chinese public opinion and crosses social and generational lines.
No Chinese leadership could sustain political legitimacy by appearing weak or compromising on issues of national sovereignty and territorial unity.
From passive acknowledgment to active opposition: Beijing’s redline
Historically, the United States adhered to the One-China policy, recognising that there is one China while maintaining unofficial ties with Taiwan.
However, Beijing has grown increasingly concerned that successive US actions — including arms sales to Taiwan, high-level official visits, military coordination, and quasi-diplomatic engagement — have gradually hollowed out the political understandings enshrined in the three China-US joint communiqués.
As a result, China’s diplomatic position has become clearer and firmer.
Beijing no longer considers passive acknowledgment of the One China principle sufficient.
It now requires explicit and active opposition to “Taiwan independence” as a prerequisite for stable state-to-state relations.
From Beijing’s perspective:
- Supporting the One China principle while remaining ambiguous on “Taiwan independence” leaves serious strategic loopholes.
- Explicit opposition to “Taiwan independence” confirms recognition that Taiwan is not and will never become a sovereign state.
Countries that refuse to oppose “Taiwan independence” are regarded as undermining China’s sovereignty and disturbing peace across the Taiwan Strait.
Africa, zero tariffs, and strategic sovereignty-based diplomacy
China’s deepening economic engagement with Africa provides one of the clearest examples of how the Taiwan issue shapes Beijing’s foreign policy and global partnerships.
Over the past two decades, China has become Africa’s largest trading partner, a leading infrastructure financier, and a major investor in mining, energy, telecommunications, and industrialization.
Importantly, China’s economic diplomacy is not politically neutral: it is closely and explicitly linked to adherence to the One China principle.
Today, all African countries except Eswatini have established diplomatic relations with Beijing and fully abide by the One China principle.
China’s expansion of zero-tariff treatment and preferential market access for African products must therefore be understood not only as economic generosity but also as sovereignty-based strategic diplomacy.
By rewarding countries that respect its core interests, Beijing conveys three clear messages:
- Sovereignty respect earns economic rewards. Nations that uphold the One China principle gain full access to China’s market, investment, financing, and development cooperation.
- Challenging One China carries real costs. States that recognize Taiwan isolate themselves from the world’s second-largest economy and its global partnership network.
- Africa matters to China’s global strategy. African support strengthens China’s international position on sovereignty, non-interference, multipolarity, and reform of global governance.
For African nations, alignment with the One China principle is not only a diplomatic stance, but a pathway to tangible development benefits.
Why Taiwan remains the most dangerous flashpoint in US-China relations
Taiwan has become the most sensitive and potentially volatile issue between China and the US because it merges nationalism, military competition, ideology, technology, and great-power prestige.
- For Washington, Taiwan relates to alliance credibility and regional power balance.
- For Beijing, Taiwan concerns national survival, sovereignty, and the very legitimacy of the state.
This asymmetry is decisive. The US views Taiwan as strategically important; China views it as existential.
That is why Beijing repeatedly warns that Taiwan is a red line that must not be crossed.
The Taiwan question is not an ordinary diplomatic dispute. For China, it lies at the heart of national identity, historical memory, strategic security, and political legitimacy.
This explains Beijing’s uncompromising stance on opposing “Taiwan independence” and its insistence that the One China principle is the political foundation of all relations with China.
Africa’s economic integration with China—and the extension of zero-tariff and preferential policies to One China-compliant states—confirms that the Taiwan issue now deeply structures China’s global diplomacy.
The message from Beijing is unambiguous: respect for China’s sovereignty over Taiwan is not optional. It is a prerequisite for strategic trust, economic partnership, and long-term cooperation.
As the global order evolves, understanding the depth of China’s position on Taiwan is essential for policymakers, analysts, and governments across Africa and the world. Failure to grasp this fundamental reality risks not only misreading China’s foreign policy but also misjudging the future of international geopolitics.
*Saxon Zvina is a principal consultant at Skyworld Consultancy Services. Email: [email protected] X: @saxonzvina2
