BEIJING - China has never recognized anything set out in the so-called "Treaty of San Francisco", including on the sovereignty over Taiwan or the handling of the territory and sovereign rights of China as a non-signatory, and has never accepted the treaty, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

In response to a related query at a daily press briefing, spokesperson for the ministry Mao Ning said the so-called "Treaty of San Francisco" was issued with the exclusion of important parties to the WWII, such as the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union, in order to seek a separate peace deal with Japan.

She added the document goes against the provision of not making a separate armistice or peace with the enemies in the Declaration by United Nations signed by 26 countries in 1942, including China, the US, the UK and the Soviet Union, and violates the UN Charter and the basic principles of international law.

"Anything set out in the treaty on the sovereignty over Taiwan or the handling of the territory and sovereign rights of China as a non-signatory, is thus entirely illegal and null and void," Mao said.

She pointed out the 1972 Sino-Japanese Joint Statement clearly states that "The Government of Japan recognizes the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China. The Government of the People's Republic of China reiterates that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the territory of the People's Republic of China. The Government of Japan fully understands and respects this stand of the Government of the People's Republic of China, and it firmly maintains its stand under Article 8 of the Potsdam Proclamation."

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The four political documents between China and Japan provide clear provisions on the Taiwan question and other issues, and together they constitute the political foundation of China-Japan relations, Mao added.