By Favour Ulebor, Abuja

China and Nigerian foreign policy experts on Thursday reaffirmed support for the One China policy, insisting that Taiwan remains an inseparable part of China.

The position was made known during a media salon held in Abuja, where speakers also warned against what they described as separatist activities by Taiwan authorities.

Speaking at the event, Counselor at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Nigeria, Dong Hairong, said Taiwan has been part of China since ancient times and remains under China’s sovereignty.

She said historical records and international agreements, including the Cairo Declaration and United Nations Resolution 2758, support China’s position on Taiwan.

“Taiwan has never been a country, was never one in the past, and will never be one in the future,” she said.

Dong also criticised recent diplomatic activities involving Taiwan leader, Lai Ching-te, including his visit to Eswatini and the recent visit of some Nigerian journalists to Taiwan.

She urged Nigerian journalists to avoid portraying Taiwan as a sovereign country in their reports.

“In Taiwan related news coverage, erroneous expressions such as referring to Taiwan as a ‘country’ or using the so called ‘Taiwanese Ambassador to Nigeria’ must be strictly prohibited,” she added.

Director of the Centre for China Studies Abuja, Charles Onunaiju, said global support for the One China principle continued to grow, noting that most African countries recognise Taiwan as part of China.

According to him, western countries have continued to use the Taiwan issue to undermine China.

“Thankfully, Nigeria and the rest of Africa do not play the Taiwan card and were completely unequivocal that there is only One China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China,” he said.

Also speaking, Provost of the Anti Corruption Academy of Nigeria, Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim, described Lai’s recent visit to Eswatini as abnormal in diplomatic practice.

He said African countries understood the importance of territorial integrity because many had experienced colonialism and foreign interference.

“As of May 2026, 53 out of 54 African nations adhere to the One China policy, recognising Taiwan as an inalienable part of China,” he said.

On his part, Director of Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts and Dean of Law Faculty at Ave Maria University, Sam Amadi, said many countries maintain unofficial trade relations with Taiwan despite recognising Beijing diplomatically.

He explained that countries often adopt what he described as “strategic ambiguity” by recognising China officially while maintaining economic engagements with Taiwan.

“My position is that we should never have any diplomatic engagement with Taiwan, but we should calibrate our trade agreements to ensure that it does not contradict the core principle,” Amadi said.