This year marks the 60th anniversary of the UN. The anniversary comes at a time when the world body is looking closely at its role and working to implement reforms and renew the organization.
The role of each of the UN's divisions is to maintain peace and resolve regional conflicts. They are also responsible for carrying out a wide range of tasks and missions, involving different aspects of human life.
All Taiwanese have longed to gain entry into the UN and enhance the nation's international status. To achieve this, Taiwan should do more than rely on the efforts of civilian and non-governmental organizations to gain admission to the body, as this will only prove to be limited, unproductive and discouraging. The government and the civil groups should work together to conduct an in-depth study and map out a concrete set of strategies to address the issue.
The nation's drive to gain entry into the UN is like a marathon for all Taiwanese. If the eventual outcome is to be positive, we have to figure out a consistent and feasible approach to taking part in this time-consuming and energy-draining race.
Over the past 13 years we have failed to make a breakthrough against China's oppression on the diplomatic front, even though we have continued to ask our diplomatic allies to assist us with our UN bid, and to underline the importance of cross-strait peace.
As such, we need to rethink our diplomatic strategy and should take the initiative and apply for UN membership in the name of a peace-loving nation. Although the application will probably be rejected or vetoed by China at the UN Security Council, it would have significance in the international community. I believe that only by doing this can we highlight that Taiwan and China are two totally different countries.
The nation's drive to participate in the UN should not become an annual routine. Instead, there should be a concerted effort to push the endeavor forward.
For example, when the world celebrates United Nations Day on Oct. 24 every year, the nation could choose to hold an international symposium to discuss UN-related issues and invite international experts and academics. By doing this we could promote and encourage domestic UN-related research through international academic exchanges while at the same time establishing an interactive platform for Taiwan to provide advice on the UN's reform and development, and help the nation communicate with the rest of the world. After the symposium, we could then organize the content of all the discussions, and transform them into useful materials to educate people from all walks of life about the importance of the issue, and eventually help Taiwan become a normal country.
I believe that as long as the people, the government and non-governmental organizations can work together to pursue this issue of national importance, the dream of all Taiwanese will one day come true.
Chen Lung-chu is chairman of the New Century Foundation and the director of the Taiwan United Nations Alliance.
Translated by Lin Ya-ti
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
If you had a vision of the future where China did not dominate the global car industry, you can kiss those dreams goodbye. That is because US President Donald Trump’s promised 25 percent tariff on auto imports takes an ax to the only bits of the emerging electric vehicle (EV) supply chain that are not already dominated by Beijing. The biggest losers when the levies take effect this week would be Japan and South Korea. They account for one-third of the cars imported into the US, and as much as two-thirds of those imported from outside North America. (Mexico and Canada, while
I have heard people equate the government’s stance on resisting forced unification with China or the conditional reinstatement of the military court system with the rise of the Nazis before World War II. The comparison is absurd. There is no meaningful parallel between the government and Nazi Germany, nor does such a mindset exist within the general public in Taiwan. It is important to remember that the German public bore some responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust. Post-World War II Germany’s transitional justice efforts were rooted in a national reckoning and introspection. Many Jews were sent to concentration camps not