China has renewed its hardline stance on Taiwan, declaring that the island is not a sovereign nation and warning that any challenge to the One-China principle could heighten global tensions.
The position was strongly reiterated during a media engagement in Abuja organised by the Centre for China Studies and the Centre for Contemporary China-Africa Research, where Chinese officials and Nigerian scholars defended Beijing’s territorial claims over Taiwan.
The event, themed “Understanding the One-China Principle and its Role in Deepening China–Nigeria Strategic Relations,” came amid growing international attention on Taiwan and rising diplomatic friction between China and the United States.
Chinese Counsellor in Nigeria, Dong Hairong, said recent international activities involving Taiwan were attempts to promote separatist narratives that distort historical and legal realities surrounding the island.
She specifically referenced the recent visit of Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te to Eswatini, alongside reports of engagements between Nigerian journalists and Taiwanese officials, describing them as efforts aimed at undermining China’s sovereignty claims.
“Taiwan has been an inalienable part of Chinese territory since ancient times,” Dong stated, insisting that historical records and international agreements after World War II support China’s position that Taiwan belongs to Beijing.
She argued that territories taken by Japan during wartime, including Taiwan, were internationally recognised as part of China after the war ended. According to her, the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 confirmed Beijing as the only legitimate government representing all Chinese territory.
“Taiwan has never been a country, was never one and will never be,” the Chinese envoy declared.
The renewed diplomatic messaging followed reports that Chinese President Xi Jinping warned United States President Donald Trump that mishandling the Taiwan issue could push both countries toward “conflict” during ongoing high-level discussions in Beijing.
Also speaking at the Abuja event, Convener of The Alternative Movement, Segun Showunmi, urged Nigeria to strengthen its relationship with China, arguing that Beijing’s economic and technological influence offers greater long-term benefits than Taiwan could provide.
“In another 100 years, what Nigeria will gain from a firm relationship with China, Taiwan will not be able to provide in 1,000 years,” Showunmi said.
Professor Ghali Ibrahim, Provost of the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria and Director of the Centre for China-Africa Research, also backed the One-China principle, insisting that Taiwan does not possess the legal status of an independent sovereign state.
He added that most African nations already recognise Beijing’s position, noting that Eswatini remains the only African country maintaining official diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
