The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) reacted positively yesterday to reports that the US had pressured China into dropping its proposal to initiate a UN vote on whether Taiwan is part of China.
DPP caucus whip Wang Tuoh (
"Taiwan is an independent state. It does not belong to the [People's Republic of China (PRC)]. We hope the international community, including the member states of the UN, will accept Taiwan's application for UN membership," Wang said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Tseng Yuan-chuan (曾永權) said his party approved of the US decision to reject China's position that Taiwan is part of the PRC.
"There is nothing wrong with the US making such remarks as its Taiwan Relations Act clearly says that the development of US-Taiwan relations should be beneficial to both sides," Tseng said.
The DPP and KMT were reacting to a report in the Chinese-language China Times that said China had canceled its plans for a vote on the issue. Beijing reportedly said that as it was already a matter of UN consensus that Taiwan is part of China, there was no need for a vote.
letter
The report said that the US wrote a letter to the UN expressing its objections to the Chinese proposal.
Chinese Ambassador to the UN Wang Guangya (王光亞) presented the proposal to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Aug. 16 in reaction to Taiwan's application for UN membership under the name "Taiwan" in July.
In a nine-point clarification, the US told the UN that there was no consensus among UN members that "Taiwan is part of the People's Republic of China," adding that this is not US policy.
While receiving Heritage Foundation researcher Harvey Feldman yesterday afternoon, President Chen Shui-bian (
Taiwan has sought to join the UN since 1993. This year, Chen opted to apply for membership under the name "Taiwan," submitting an application to that effect to Ban.
Ban rejected the application, saying the Taiwan issue had been resolved when the UN passed Resolution 2758 in 1971.
The US has criticized Taiwan over its use of the name "Taiwan," saying Taipei is willfully provoking Beijing. China routinely interprets actions taken by the DPP as moves toward formal independence.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman David Wang (
difference in policy
Wang said it would not be surprising if the US had sent such a message to the UN because Ban's stance on the issue differed from US policy, as outlined in its official documents.
The difference, Wang said, was that Ban argued that Taiwan is "recognized" as being part of the "People's Republic of China," but the US only "acknowledges" China's claim that "Taiwan is part of China."
Wang said the ministry had no information to suggest that China had dropped its plan for a vote on Taiwan because of US pressure.
China might not have obtained the desired result if it had stuck to its plan, Wang said, adding that not every UN member would accept the Chinese position.
Wang said countries used different tactics when signing communiques on the establishment of diplomatic relations with China.
Some countries have used wording to the effect that they "take note of" China's claim over Taiwan, others said they "respect" China's claim, while still others made no mention of the issue, he said.
Additional reporting by Flora Wang
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