The UN should find suitable methods to include Taiwan in the UN system and live up to the spirit of leaving no one behind, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday.
Taiwan is a responsible member of the international community, and Taiwanese have contributed significantly to international endeavors, but due to China’s influence, Taiwan has only been able to participate in 72 intergovernmental organizations, Wu said at an International Organizations Day event in Taipei.
Beijing continues to pressure the UN to exclude Taiwan, citing an erroneous interpretation of UN Resolution 2758, but that resolution neither mentions Taiwan nor authorizes Beijing to represent Taiwan within the UN, he said.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Resolution 2758 — which recognizes “the representatives of the People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations” and expels “the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek” (蔣介石) — passed 76 to 35, with 17 abstentions, on Oct. 25, 1971.
Despite many hardships, Taiwan’s goal of participating in international organizations has received increasing support over the years, including at this year’s World Health Assembly and in statements by Czech President Petr Pavel and representatives of G7 countries.
Wu said that Taiwan has proven to be “a force for good” and could contribute positively to world affairs, as he repeated a call for the UN to find appropriate methods to include Taiwan in the UN.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Ambassador to Taiwan Andrea Bowman yesterday said that Taiwan demonstrated great resolve in making itself a globally inclusive democratic country.
Over the past 70 years, Taiwan has increasingly embraced internationalism, as demonstrated by its 2030 bilingual policy and efforts to attract global high-tech talent in artificial intelligence, Bowman said.
While Taiwan has lost some diplomatic allies over the past few years, many citizens of former allies continue to reside in Taiwan, demonstrating their support and recognition of Taiwan, she said.
International Cotton Advisory Committee executive director Eric Trachtenberg said that Taiwan has been a committee member since 1963 and has been an avid supporter of the cotton industry.
During the UN General Debate last month, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said that the global body seeks to include everyone.
“We said leave no one behind, and I think member states have to find a way to make sure that we are not in that position where we’re excluding people,” Mohammed said. “Every person matters, whether it’s Taiwan or otherwise, and I think it’s really important for member states to find a solution.”
STILL COMMITTED: The US opposes any forced change to the ‘status quo’ in the Strait, but also does not seek conflict, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US President Donald Trump’s administration released US$5.3 billion in previously frozen foreign aid, including US$870 million in security exemptions for programs in Taiwan, a list of exemptions reviewed by Reuters showed. Trump ordered a 90-day pause on foreign aid shortly after taking office on Jan. 20, halting funding for everything from programs that fight starvation and deadly diseases to providing shelters for millions of displaced people across the globe. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has said that all foreign assistance must align with Trump’s “America First” priorities, issued waivers late last month on military aid to Israel and Egypt, the
‘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
France’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and accompanying warships were in the Philippines yesterday after holding combat drills with Philippine forces in the disputed South China Sea in a show of firepower that would likely antagonize China. The Charles de Gaulle on Friday docked at Subic Bay, a former US naval base northwest of Manila, for a break after more than two months of deployment in the Indo-Pacific region. The French carrier engaged with security allies for contingency readiness and to promote regional security, including with Philippine forces, navy ships and fighter jets. They held anti-submarine warfare drills and aerial combat training on Friday in
COMBAT READINESS: The military is reviewing weaponry, personnel resources, and mobilization and recovery forces to adjust defense strategies, the defense minister said The military has released a photograph of Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) appearing to sit beside a US general during the annual Han Kuang military exercises on Friday last week in a historic first. In the photo, Koo, who was presiding over the drills with high-level officers, appears to be sitting next to US Marine Corps Major General Jay Bargeron, the director of strategic planning and policy of the US Indo-Pacific Command, although only Bargeron’s name tag is visible in the seat as “J5 Maj General.” It is the first time the military has released a photo of an active
RSS