The leaders of the EU and of Taiwan’s four diplomatic allies on Friday expressed concern over the stability of the Taiwan Strait and voiced support for Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN during a meeting of the UN General Assembly.
The 77th UN General Assembly which began on Tuesday and ends tomorrow, is its first in-person session since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.
European Council President Charles Michel said the EU calls for maritime security and the preservation of stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Photo: AFP
Michel said the bloc recognizes Beijing’s “one China” principle, but “will not close our eyes to the violations of human rights” in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.
“We want emerging powers, including China, to participate sincerely in the collective efforts for peace and development,” he said.
Michel’s remarks came just two days after US President Joe Biden said that Washington seeks to “uphold peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
Photo: CNA
Taiwan’s Caribbean ally Saint Lucia also expressed concern over tensions in the Taiwan Strait at the General Assembly.
St Lucian Prime Minister Philip Pierre said the recent escalation of military tensions in the Taiwan Strait had “threatened regional and international peace and security.”
“Saint Lucia calls upon those responsible to observe the UN rules on peaceful settlement of disputes and respect for the territorial integrity and political independence of all countries,” he said.
Pierre also championed “the meaningful participation of Taiwan in the organs and agencies of the United Nations,” adding that Taiwanese “ought to be allowed to continue their chosen path to economic, social and cultural development and to confirm their right to self-determination.”
St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew stated his country’s “unswerving support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the UN system.”
“Taiwan has been a long-standing friend and a partner for sustainable development,” he said.
He added that the UN would be “stronger” in the company of “those who share our democratic principles and values.”
Tuvaluan Prime Minister Kausea Natano said it is “regrettable” that Taiwan continues to be kept out of the UN system despite “its notable partnerships on a wide range of development issues.”
“Tuvalu strongly supports the readmission of the Republic of China, Taiwan, into the UN as a founding member of the United Nations, and its active participation in UN specialized agencies, including the World Health Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change,” Natano said.
Belizean Prime Minister John Briceno said the Central American nation “calls for Taiwan to take its rightful place among the international community of nations.”
Taiwan is excluded from the international community, although efforts toward global prosperity require the participation of all countries and peoples, Briceno said.
“The outdated policy imposed on Taiwan to promote its exclusion must yield to the greater good,” he added.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare called on “all countries to be sensitive and not inflame tensions that can threaten the unity and security of any country.”
The Solomon Islands and Taiwan severed diplomatic ties in 2019, when the Pacific island state established diplomatic relations with China.
Sogavare defended his government’s decision to switch allegiance, saying it was made “through democratic processes by a democratically elected government.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei yesterday thanked the US, the EU and other like-minded nations for their discussion of Taiwan at the General Assembly.
China frequently claims that cooperation with Taiwan contravenes its so-called “one China” principle, and uses countries’ signs of support for Taiwan as justification for military aggression, it said.
However, the attention brought to the issue by the international community during the assembly has made it difficult for China to hide its undermining of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, it said.
“We call on all countries to continue to condemn Chinese aggression, and meanwhile we will continue to strengthen our self-defense capabilities, our security partnership with the US and to cooperate with all like-minded countries,” it said.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old