Locked In: China Cherrypicks Historical Texts To Challenge Taiwan Sovereignty
During a Beijing meeting with the German Foreign Minister, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi tried out some new language on Taiwan, claiming that its status has been “sealed with seven locks.” It was the latest of many attempts by Beijing to selectively cite various historical documents — including the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Declaration, the Japanese Instrument of Surrender and UN Resolution 2758 — to argue that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China, despite the Chinese Communist Party never previously controlling or administering it. But a key document Beijing ignores is the Treaty of Peace with Japan (aka the Treaty of San Francisco), in which Japan renounced its legal claim to Taiwan, but did not mention China. What is Beijing trying to accomplish with this latest propaganda? What is the truth behind its deceptive language? And how are Taiwan and the US pushing back? In this episode, we discuss China’s propaganda, the history of Taiwan, and what it means for the future peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait. *Recorded on December 30, 2025 at 3pm Taiwan Standard Time Host: Ethan Liu Producer: Chinyeh Chiang Our guests: Wei-feng Tzeng - National Chengchi University Institute of International Relations Associate Research Fellow Chen Fang-yu - Soochow University Political Science Associate Professor
