U.N. Deputy Chief Says Taiwan’s Exclusion Harmful
Exclusion of Taiwan could harm the U.N. efforts to achieve global development goals, U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said on September 15 when asked about Taiwan’s bid for U.N. participation.
“I think exclusion of anyone holds back the goals,” Mohammed said when asked by reporters whether Taiwan’s exclusion from the U.N. hurts the world’s pursuit of sustainable development goals.
“We said leave no one behind, and I think member states have to find a way to make sure that we are not in that position where we’re excluding people,” she said.
“Every person matters, whether it’s Taiwan or otherwise, and I think it’s really important for member states to find a solution to that,” she added.
While world leaders were to meet during the 78th U.N. General Assembly, Taiwan would be excluded by the misinterpretation of the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758, which was passed in 1971 to resolve the issue of China’s representation in the U.N.
The UNGA Resolution 2758, which recognized the representatives of the Government of People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China” to the U.N., did not state that Taiwan is a part of China, nor did it give Beijing the right to represent the people of Taiwan in the U.N. system.
Shortly after Mohammed’s remarks, however, U.N. Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq said that the U.N. upholds the “One China policy,” adding: “We don’t intend to leave any of the people of China behind, and we support all of the people of China, but we stick by the ‘One China policy’ as has been decided by the General Assembly.”
Later that day, Taiwan’s Economic and Cultural Office in New York issued a statement in objection, saying that Taiwan is “an independent and sovereign democratic state.”
“Only Taiwan’s democratically elected government can represent its 23.5 million people in the U.N. system and the international community. The government of the PRC has no right to a say in the matter,” it emphasized.
FAPA President Minze Chien reacts: “Meeting all the criteria of Statehood under international law, Taiwan has long existed as an independent sovereign country that deserves full membership in the U.N. and its specialized agencies.”
Dr. Chien adds: “Taiwan’s 23.5 million people deserve equal right to participate in the U.N. affairs. The continued and unjust exclusion of Taiwan from the U.N. system constitutes a blatant violation of the U.N. Charter’s principles of universality and self-determination, and need to be redressed immediately.”
References:
[1] Focus Taiwan: https://focustaiwan.tw/cross-strait/202309160014
[2] Taipei Times: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2023/09/17/2003806350
Taiwan Urges China to Stop “Destructive” Military Sorties
On September 18, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) urged China to immediately halt its “destructive unilateral actions,” after a record 103 Chinese military aircraft were detected around Taiwan in a 24-hour period that ended earlier in that day.
In a statement, the MND said 103 Chinese warplanes and nine warships were detected near Taiwan between 6 a.m. on September 17 and 6 a.m. on September 18, posing severe challenges to the security across the Taiwan Strait and in the region.
Of the 103 military aircraft, 40 crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the southwestern and southeastern parts of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the ministry said.
An ADIZ is a self-declared area in which a country claims the right to identify, locate and control approaching foreign aircraft, but is not part of its territorial airspace as defined by international law.
The MND said that ensuring peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait was key to maintaining security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, which is the responsibility of all stakeholders, including China.
China should shoulder its responsibility and “immediately stop such destructive unilateral actions,” as such military harassment could easily escalate tensions, erode regional peace, and disrupt regional stability, the MND said.
