China’s Word Game: A New Narrative of the “One China Principle”

Diplomats and China watchers are familiar with the so-called “one China principle;” even “Uncle Roger,” a Malaysian-born comedian whose real name is Nigel Ng, knows what it means (and was banned in China for mocking it). The term is omnipresent – appearing at protests targeting political figures who dare to visit Taiwan, in Xi Jinping’s phone calls with world leaders, and in speeches at international events from which Taiwan is excluded.

And yet, only recently has the “one China principle” been touted by China as a “general consensus of the international community” (国际社会的普遍共识) and a “basic norm in international relations” (国际关系基本准则).

Chinese officials introduced the term “general consensus of the international community” at the 2007 World Health Assembly meeting that rejected Taiwan’s participation. The phrase was not officially translated into English until almost a decade later – by which point it had become a catchphrase in Chinese propaganda.

Chinese and English versions of the term “basic norm in international relations” were introduced at around the same time in 2016, the year President Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progress Party was sworn into office. This term was introduced in the context of China-Taiwan issues, when Sao Tome and Principe established diplomatic relations with China, and has been frequently highlighted – including by former Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, one of China’s most prominent “wolf warrior” diplomats – since 2020 (see the chart below).