Help China achieve reunification with Taiwan to prevent instability in Strait: Ex-China Ambassador to US Cui Tiankai at Shangri-La

No one cares more about stability in the Taiwan Strait than the people of China, asserted China's former Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs and former Chinese Ambassador to the U.S., Cui Tiankai, making the point that there are Chinese people living in both sides of the Strait.

In order to prevent instability in the Strait, others should "help China" achieve its goal of reunification with Taiwan, he averred.

Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Taiwan

Cui was speaking at the 2026 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on May 30, in response to a question from Meia Nouwens, a Senior Fellow for Chinese Security and Defence Policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

In the context of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted energy supplies and China has expressed concern over, Nouwens asked Cui about a potential Chinese blockade of Taiwan, which would similarly disrupt the supply and trade of advanced semiconductors manufactured by Taiwan.

In response, Cui made a distinction, in his view, between what is happening at the Strait of Hormuz and at the Taiwan Strait.

He described the conflict in the Middle East as one "between sovereign states" that China seeks a peaceful solution to, whereas the question of Taiwan was "entirely different" in nature.

"[Taiwan] is a matter of territorial integrity and national unity for China, so people have to be careful to have this distinction," he said. "We will do whatever we can to safeguard our sovereignty, our territorial integrity, and achieve national reunification."

In another panel session at the SLD at around the same time, General Meng Xiangqing, a professor and member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, also said:

"The Taiwan separatist forces and the Taiwan Straits peace cannot accommodate each other.

If we want to safeguard the peace of the Taiwan strait, we should oppose the Taiwan separatist forces.

This is our red line. There is no space for reconciliation."

Solution is 'very straightforward'

Cui believes the solution to the question of instability in the Strait is not very complicated, but "very straightforward".

"If [China's] 'One China' principle is upheld, if no external interference into China's process of national reunification, then the Chinese living on the two sides of Taiwan Strait — we would be fully capable of finding a solution and achieve national reunification. And if that comes, I can assure you any instability in the Taiwan Strait will be removed once and for all."

He added that disruption of trade would affect China more than others anyway, as China conducts a lot of trade with Taiwan.

Cui urged countries concerned about stability in the region to "help China" achieve this goal.

"Frankly, I don't want to be critical of anybody else, but frankly, some European countries are sending their military ships...to the Taiwan Strait, I don't know why," he added. "Because for us in Asia this would very much remind us of the colonial days."

Later in the session, UK general Rob Magowan responded to the issue of European ships in the Taiwan Strait, making the point that the UK would allow ships of any nation to transit the English Channel, to enable freedom of movement that allows the global economy to prosper.

Cooperation with the US

Responding to another question on the state of relations between China and the United States, Cui said that China is ready and open to have security cooperation with all other countries, including the U.S.

"We are fully aware that sometimes we have different views, we have different claims of some of the territories or islands or reefs, and sometimes we even have different philosophies," he said.

"But after all, we are all human beings. We are part of this global community, and we are faced with growing global challenges, so we are ready to work with others as long as we can identify common grounds and common needs."

He added that Chinese President Xi Jinping has put forward the idea of building a community with a shared future that would include the U.S. as well.

"We do not want to exclude anybody," Cui said. "We are ready to work with others to have partnership with others on the basis of these ideas, of course, we have a few principles: mutual respect, respect of sovereignty and territory integrity, and peaceful solution to any disputes."

"We are putting forward all these initiatives, ideas, [and] proposals for stability and peace. We are not sending our naval ships or aeroplanes to close to other countries to conduct frequent reconnaissance activities, and so on. We are not coming to the shore of the United States anyway."