Taiwanese lawmakers and hundreds of Taiwanese expatriates on Saturday marched in New York City to promote Taiwan’s membership in the UN.
The march followed the opening on Tuesday of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, and ahead of the start of the annual general debate, which begins tomorrow and runs through Monday next week.
People from expatriate communities in New York City, Boston and Washington started the 3.2km-long march across the street from the office building housing the Chinese Consulate-General and headed toward Dag Hammarskjold Plaza in front of the UN headquarters.
Photo: CNA
New Power Party Legislator Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明), who has participated twice in similar marches promoting UN membership for Taiwan, said China has spared no effort to squeeze Taiwan’s international space and has used its influence to keep the nation out of the world body.
Taiwan will be able to join the UN one day if the nation’s younger generations continue to demand participation in the organization, he said.
Many of the marchers carried flags and banners with slogans supporting Taiwan’s desire to join the UN and expressing opposition to China’s suppression.
Photo: CNA
Led by Hsu and Democratic Progressive Party legislators Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀), Lee Li-feng (李麗芬) and Chen Man-li (陳曼麗), the march passed several New York City landmarks, including Times Square, Grand Central Station and the Chrysler Building.
The marchers shouted slogans, including “Keep Taiwan Free,” “UN for Taiwan” and “Taiwan is Taiwan,” that drew support from onlookers.
The march finished in about 90 minutes, according to event organizer “Keep Taiwan Free,” which put the march’s turnout at about 500.
Because of China’s influence, not only has Taiwan been kept out of the world body, but Republic of China passport holders are not allowed to enter UN headquarters, which the lawmakers said was unfair to Taiwan.
They called on the UN and the international community to support Taiwan, which upholds the values of human rights and democracy, and live up to their commitment as part of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to leave no one behind.
Participation in the UN system is a long-standing goal that the government and the public have worked for as part of Taiwan’s desire to become a constructive member of the international community, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York Director-General Hsu Li-wen (徐儷文) said.
‘TAIWAN-FRIENDLY’: The last time the Web site fact sheet removed the lines on the US not supporting Taiwanese independence was during the Biden administration in 2022 The US Department of State has removed a statement on its Web site that it does not support Taiwanese independence, among changes that the Taiwanese government praised yesterday as supporting Taiwan. The Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, produced by the department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, previously stated that the US opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.” In the updated version published on Thursday, the line stating that the US does not support Taiwanese independence had been removed. The updated
‘CORRECT IDENTIFICATION’: Beginning in May, Taiwanese married to Japanese can register their home country as Taiwan in their spouse’s family record, ‘Nikkei Asia’ said The government yesterday thanked Japan for revising rules that would allow Taiwanese nationals married to Japanese citizens to list their home country as “Taiwan” in the official family record database. At present, Taiwanese have to select “China.” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the new rule, set to be implemented in May, would now “correctly” identify Taiwanese in Japan and help protect their rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The statement was released after Nikkei Asia reported the new policy earlier yesterday. The name and nationality of a non-Japanese person marrying a Japanese national is added to the
AT RISK: The council reiterated that people should seriously consider the necessity of visiting China, after Beijing passed 22 guidelines to punish ‘die-hard’ separatists The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has since Jan. 1 last year received 65 petitions regarding Taiwanese who were interrogated or detained in China, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. Fifty-two either went missing or had their personal freedoms restricted, with some put in criminal detention, while 13 were interrogated and temporarily detained, he said in a radio interview. On June 21 last year, China announced 22 guidelines to punish “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists,” allowing Chinese courts to try people in absentia. The guidelines are uncivilized and inhumane, allowing Beijing to seize assets and issue the death penalty, with no regard for potential
‘UNITED FRONT’ FRONTS: Barring contact with Huaqiao and Jinan universities is needed to stop China targeting Taiwanese students, the education minister said Taiwan has blacklisted two Chinese universities from conducting academic exchange programs in the nation after reports that the institutes are arms of Beijing’s United Front Work Department, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) published yesterday. China’s Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, as well as Jinan University in Guangzhou, which have 600 and 1,500 Taiwanese on their rolls respectively, are under direct control of the Chinese government’s political warfare branch, Cheng said, citing reports by national security officials. A comprehensive ban on Taiwanese institutions collaborating or
RSS