UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday defended his decision to reject Taiwan's latest application for UN membership this month, but conceded that the membership question "ultimately" must be decided by the member states, not his office.
In a joint press conference in California with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, however, Ban did not address the question of why the application, in which Taiwan sought to join the world body under the name "Taiwan," was not submitted to the UN General Assembly for debate and a vote.
Asked by a reporter about his decision, Ban cited UN Resolution 2758, the 1971 UN action that switched representation of China from the Republic of China to the People's Republic of China.
`Sole and legitimate'
Ban cited the resolution as "clearly mentioning that the government of China is the sole and legitimate government and the position of the United Nations is that Taiwan is part of China."
"The position of the United Nations is that the People's Republic of China represents the whole of China as the sole and legitimate representative government of China," Ban said. "The decision until now about the wish of the people of Taiwan to join the United Nations has been decided on that basis."
UN membership, Ban said, "ultimately needs to be decided by the member states of the United Nations," Ban said.
However, he did not say why the members were not allowed to vote on the latest application.
From 1993 until this year, Taiwan has applied each year for UN membership under the name "Republic of China," each time unsuccessfully.
Same result
This year, the application used the name "Taiwan," but the result was the same.
President Chen Shui-bian (
The UN office of legal affairs returned the letter shortly after it was submitted, effectively rejecting Taiwan's application.
Advocates of UN membership in Taiwan have condemned Ban's and the Secretariat's action, contesting the Secretariat's ability to reject the application unilaterally without submitting it to the UN membership for its deliberation.
Taiwan also argues that Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the Taiwanese representation in the world body.
Additional reporting by CNA
The Thai government on Friday announced that Taiwanese would be allowed to stay in the country for up to 60 days per entry, under the Southeast Asian country’s visa-free program starting from today. Taiwan is among 93 countries included in the Thai visa-waiver program, which has been expanded from 57 countries, with the visa-exempt entry extended from 30 to 60 days. After taking office last year, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has vowed to grant more visa waivers to foreign travelers as part of efforts to stimulate tourism. The expanded visa-waiver program was on Friday signed by Thai Minister of the Interior Anutin
BAIL APPEALS: The former vice premier was ordered to be held incommunicado despite twice being granted bail and paying a total of NT$12 million in bond The Taoyuan District Court yesterday ordered the detention of former vice premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), who is being investigated for alleged corruption while serving as Taoyuan mayor from December 2014 to December 2022, and that he be held incommunicado. The court made the ruling during a bail hearing after prosecutors appealed its bail ruling twice. Cheng on Saturday was released after posting bail of NT$5 million (US$153,818). However, after prosecutors lodged an appeal, the High Court on Monday revoked the original ruling and ordered the Taoyuan District Court to hold another bail hearing. On Tuesday, the district court granted bail to Cheng a second
PEACE AND SECURITY: China’s military ambitions present ‘the greatest strategic challenge to Japan and the world, Japan’s annual defense white paper said yesterday Japan yesterday warned that China risked escalating tensions with Taiwan with an increase in military exercises that appeared aimed in part at readying Beijing’s forces for a possible invasion. Japan’s annual assessment of security threats, including those posed by China, North Korea and Russia, comes as Taiwan closely monitors Chinese People’s Liberation Army air and sea exercises, including one with the Shandong aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean. The drills are the latest in a series including maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait last year that a senior US general said would be key to any invasion. “Because of that increase in military activity,
HAN KUANG: The exercises, which are to run from July 22 to 26, will feature unscripted war games and a decentralized command and control structure, military officers said The armed forces would for the first time test new rules of engagement (ROE) at this month’s annual Han Kuang exercises, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday. The exercises, which are to run from July 22 to 26, will feature unscripted war games, and a decentralized command and control structure, military officers told a news conference in Taipei. ROE cards would be issued to select combat troops to test their ability to function without tight control, they said. The most recent edition of the rules was published last year, they said. One of the cards’ two templates identifies enemy targets that soldiers