The US was disappointed by Nauru’s decision on Monday to cut ties with Taiwan and that a 1971 UN resolution was “distorted” to justify the move, the visiting chairwoman of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said yesterday.
“While the government of Nauru’s action on January 15 to sever its diplomatic relationship with Taiwan is a sovereign decision, it is nonetheless a disappointing one,” AIT Chair Laura Rosenberger said at a news conference in Taipei when asked about Nauru’s move.
Rosenberger also expressed disappointment over Nauru’s statement that the decision was consistent with the “one China principle ... in line with UN Resolution 2758, which recognizes the People’s Republic of China [PRC] as the sole legal government representing the whole of China.”
Photo: Yang Yao-ju, Taipei Times
UN Resolution 2758 “did not make a determination on the status of Taiwan; does not preclude countries from having diplomatic relationships with Taiwan; and does not preclude Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the UN system,” Rosenberger said. “It is disappointing to see distorted narratives about UN Resolution 2758 being used as a tool to pressure Taiwan, limit its voice on the international stage, and influence its diplomatic relationships.”
Nauru’s citing of the 1971 resolution was the first time that a former ally has used it as a justification for switching diplomatic recognition, a diplomatic source said on Monday.
UN Resolution 2758 was adopted by the 26th UN General Assembly in 1971 to solve the issue of China’s representation in the UN and ultimately led to the UN’s decision to expel Taiwan, officially called the Republic of China (ROC), and have the PRC take its place in the international organization.
The resolution passed on Oct. 25, 1971, recognizes the PRC as the “only lawful representative of China.”
Taiwan and the US have repeatedly argued that it does not mention Taiwan, does not state that “Taiwan is part of the PRC,” and does not explicitly authorize Beijing to represent Taiwan at the UN.
Commenting on the severance of ties, Rosenberger praised Taiwan as a “reliable like-minded and democratic partner,” and said that the US would continue to support its meaningful participation in the international community consistent with its longstanding “one China” policy.
In Washington, the US Department of State said in a statement on Monday that “while the Government of Nauru’s action on January 15 to sever its diplomatic relationship with Taiwan is a sovereign decision, it is nonetheless a disappointing one.”
“Taiwan is a reliable, like-minded, and democratic partner. The PRC often makes promises in exchange for diplomatic relations that ultimately remain unfulfilled. We encourage all countries to expand engagement with Taiwan and to continue to support democracy, good governance, transparency, and adherence to the rule of law,” the statement said.
Nauru’s severing of ties came two days after Vice President William Lai (賴清德) of the Democratic Progressive Party was elected president and left Taiwan with only 12 UN member states as diplomatic allies.
It was also the 10th diplomatic ally Taipei has lost to Beijing since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) took office in May 2016.
It is the second time Nauru has cut ties with Taiwan. Taiwan first established diplomatic relations with Nauru in 1980 before the Pacific island nation cut ties and recognized Beijing in July 2002.
In May 2005, Taiwan and Nauru re-established diplomatic relations and opened an embassy in each other’s capitals. Beijing consequently severed its relations with Nauru.
‘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