On 25 October 1971, the 26th Session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 by an overwhelming majority. This historic decision restored all of China’s lawful rights in the UN to the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). It decisively settled the question of who represents China at the UN, providing political, legal and procedural clarity that has shaped the international order for more than half a century.
At its core, Resolution 2758 solemnly affirms the one-China principle: there is only one China; Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory; and the PRC government is the sole legitimate government representing the whole of China. Following its adoption, the UN and its specialised agencies referred to Taiwan as “Taiwan, Province of China,” while legal opinions from the UN Secretariat made clear that the authorities in Taipei “are not considered to enjoy any form of government status.”
This outcome reflected the historical record. When the UN was established in 1945, China was represented by the Republic of China. After the founding of the PRC in 1949, the new Central People’s Government replaced the old one within the same sovereign territory. That was a change of government, not of national sovereignty. The PRC naturally and fully exercised China’s sovereignty, including its rights within the UN system—an objective reality the international community recognised in 1971.
The road to Resolution 2758 also testified to an irreversible global trend in favour of the one-China principle. For 22 years, some Western countries sought to block the restoration of China’s seat. By 1971, however, the majority of member states rejected such manoeuvres. The defeat of the “important question” proposal and the failure of the so-called “dual representation” scheme showed that the era of external obstruction had ended.
To challenge Resolution 2758 today is to challenge the foundations of the post-Second World War international order and the authority of the UN itself. The resolution recalls and safeguards the principles of the UN Charter, marking the return of one-quarter of humanity to its rightful place on the international stage. Any attempt to distort, reinterpret or undermine it is a direct affront to established international consensus and a risky attempt to reverse the course of history.
The historical status of Taiwan is equally clear. Taiwan has been part of China since ancient times. Japan’s seizure of the island in 1895 was an act of aggression, and its surrender in 1945 led to Taiwan’s lawful restoration to China. The Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation set out this position, and Japan’s instruments of surrender confirmed it. After the war, China resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Taiwan—a fact recognised by the Allied powers. Even the United States acknowledged Chinese administration of Taiwan in the early post-war years. Only after the outbreak of the Korean War did Washington introduce the false narrative of Taiwan’s “undetermined status” as a tool to contain China.
Today, the United States and a small number of allies are reviving that claim, arguing that none of the post-war agreements determined Taiwan’s ultimate status. This disregards the documentary record and ignores historical reality. Even within Taiwan, major political forces, including the Kuomintang, have historically rejected the notion that the island’s status is unresolved, reaffirming that Taiwan returned to Chinese administration after Japan’s surrender.
Resolution 2758 remains a cornerstone of contemporary international relations. To date, 183 countries have established diplomatic relations with China on this basis. While the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have not yet achieved full reunification, China’s sovereignty and territory have never been divided—and never will be. Any effort to turn back the wheel of history and separate Taiwan from China will be firmly opposed by 1.4 billion Chinese people and by the broader international community.