Sun, Sep 19, 2004 page8

• Chen changes tack on UN strategy

  • By Liu Kuan-teh 劉冠德
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  In an attempt to redirect Taiwan's annual campaign to rejoin the UN, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) unveiled the government's new strategy.

  Through a video conference with the international media in New York, Chen sent out a clear message about the Taiwan government's strong will and ability to become a UN member.

  For over a decade, the government has launched a series of campaigns to raise the question of a "return" to the UN under the ROC name, but these attempts received 11 straight rejections by the General Assembly. Although Taiwan's bid was again defeated this year, the Chen administration has injected new and decisive force into the nation's UN strategy.

  By clarifying that Resolution 2758 of the General Assembly -- passed in October 1971 -- only deals with the People's Republic of China's (PRC) right to representation in the UN and its subsidiary organizations, Chen de-linked the PRC's UN representation with Taiwan's own pursuit for UN membership and its subsidiary organizations. As Chen pointed out, "Taiwan is Taiwan. Taiwan cannot and will not fight for the right to represent China."

  Resolution 2758 recognized the PRC as the sole and legitimate government of China and thus granted the Beijing regime the seat in the General Assembly. This resolution constitutes the greatest hurdle for the Republic of China in returning to the UN.

  The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government's maneuvering on Taiwan's participation in the UN is a manifestation of its recent advocacy for a clearer identification of "Taiwan" as a country. Chen's virtual meeting with UN journalists provided an opportunity for the DPP government to intensify its efforts to educate the international community that Taiwan and China are individual countries -- and that Taiwan's participation in the UN is not the problem, but rather the solution to the "one China" dispute.

  Using the name "Taiwan" to apply for new membership faces the same obstacles the old government has encountered because to become a new member of the UN, Taiwan must receive the support of at least nine of the 15 members of the Security Council, including unanimous consent from its five standing members, which includes the PRC. Moreover, a new application requires approval by a two-thirds majority vote from the members of the General Assembly.

  Just because these challenges seem insurmountable does not mean Taiwan should just passively wait and see what happens. Strengthening Taiwan's bid for UN membership is the ultimate goal. The key now is to counteract Beijing's international propaganda by reinforcing international understanding that Taiwan is not a part of China, and that Taiwan will not compete with Beijing on the issue of representing China in the UN.

  Moreover, the straightforward adoption of the name "Taiwan" represents a growing collective will through democratic choices that the 23 million people in Taiwan want to become active and contributing members of the world community.

  Therefore, as Chen emphasized, a free and democratic country like Taiwan should not be the "missing piece" in the UN's principle of universality. Taiwan's absence in the UN has left its 23 million people without an internationally acknowledged identity and has turned them into international vagabonds, victims of political apartheid.

  In sum, it is evident that any attempt to knock on the UN's door under the rubric of the "Republic of China" is a dead end. The government and people of Taiwan should build on their progress in human rights and democratic consolidation and "participate" in, rather than "rejoin" the UN.

  By doing so, it will pave the way for the world to distinguish a "democratic Taiwan" from both the authoritarian China represented by the PRC and the authoritarian China represented by the former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime.

  Liu Kuan-teh is a Taipei-based political commentator.
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