Taiwan to Continue Campaign for U.N. Inclusion
Taiwan’s government would hold a series of events on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York while calling on the global body to stop the misinterpretation of the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758 and allow Taiwan’s participation in the U.N. system after more than fifty years of exclusion.
Taiwan was stepping up its efforts to promote the nation’s bid to join the U.N. ahead of the 78th session of the U.N. General Assembly kicking off on September 5 and the General Debate from September 19-26.
Taiwan has been inappropriately excluded from the U.N. system for decades mainly because the U.N. has long succumbed to China’s deliberate misinterpretation of the UNGA Resolution 2758, Taiwan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang said on August 29.
The UNGA Resolution 2758, which was adopted in 1971 to resolve the issue of China’s representation in the U.N., does not mention Taiwan and does not state that “Taiwan is a part of the People’s Republic of China,” nor does it give Beijing the right to represent the people of Taiwan in the U.N., Tien emphasized.
Taiwan and China are not subordinate to each other, and only Taiwan’s democratically elected government can represent its 23 million people in the U.N., he said.
Taiwan’s government has urged the U.N. to resolve the exclusion of Taiwan from the U.N. system and to allow Taiwanese people and media to visit the U.N. premises, Tien said.
To make these appeals heard, Taiwan has asked its diplomatic allies to speak up for the nation during the General Debate and asked their ambassadors to the U.N. to send a joint letter to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calling for the inclusion of Taiwan, he added.
During the General Assembly, Taiwan’s government would hold a series of activities in New York, he said, adding that overseas civic organizations and overseas Taiwanese groups are to join the promotional efforts through various means to show Taiwan’s aspiration to join the U.N.
Tien said that he is “cautiously optimistic” about Taiwan’s promotional efforts, as the whole world has come to understand the importance of security in the Taiwan Strait and how to curb the unreasonable provocations of authoritarian nations.
References:
[1] Taipei Times: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2023/08/30/2003805480
[2] Focus Taiwan: https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202308290006
Support of Taiwan in U.N. Promotes Peace: Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Wu
Supporting Taiwan’s inclusion in the U.N. promotes global peace, Taiwan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu wrote in an op-ed ahead of the opening of the 78th session of the U.N. General Assembly.
In the article published on September 2 in the U.S. magazine The National Interest, Minister Wu urged the U.N. to “uphold its principle of leaving no one behind” by allowing Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the global body.
The U.N. Charter calls for peaceful settlement of international disputes and the U.N. serves as the best forum for tackling global challenges, which “Taiwan is willing and able to take part in,” he said.
Ensuring peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is also “in the interest of every country in the world,” as the Taiwan Strait plays a major role in commercial shipping and Taiwan is one of the largest suppliers of semiconductors, he said.
The free world has been inspired by Ukrainians in the wake of Russia’s invasion last year, coming together to forge a “new sense of democratic solidarity around the world” to safeguard universal values and global peace, Wu said.
It is crucial to prevent “a gross violation of human rights” such as Russia’s invasion from happening elsewhere, he said, calling for international attention to China’s constant threats against Taiwan and the region.
China poses a growing threat to Taiwan, as it encroaches on the nation’s air defense identification zone and uses disinformation and economic coercion in an attempt “to wear down our will to fight,” he said.
“Despite never having ruled Taiwan, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has for decades vowed to take control of the island and refused to renounce the use of force,” Wu said, adding that China has also attempted to expand its power and solidify its false territorial claims in the East and South China seas.
“Authoritarian governments need to know that they will be held accountable for their aggression, and the only way to settle differences is through peaceful means,” he said.
“Allowing Taiwan to meaningfully participate in the UN system would benefit the world’s efforts to address pressing global issues and demonstrate the UN’s determination to unite for global peace at a critical juncture when the future of the world is at stake.”
“We are stronger together. Now is the time to act on this fundamental principle by including Taiwan,” he concluded.
