Paraguay, Belize, and Saint Kitts and Nevis, three of the 15 UN members that have official diplomatic ties with Taiwan, voiced support at the UN General Assembly on Friday for Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN.
In a video played at the 76th session of the General Assembly in New York, Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benitez said that universality is a basic principle of the UN, and based on that principle, “we support the inclusion of Taiwan within the United Nations system.”
Taiwan lost its UN seat in 1971, when most countries shifted recognition to Beijing.
Photo: Bloomberg
Belizian Prime Minister John Briceno on Friday attended the UN meeting in person to say that the UN’s multilateral system must be inclusive to harness the capacity of all countries to cement international cooperation where it is most needed.
Briceno said Belize’s partnership with Taiwan has been based on their common democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law, and his country has benefited significantly from its ties with Taiwan.
Briceno said that Taiwan has provided valuable assistance in providing medical supplies and financial support to help his country handle the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Belize calls for Taiwan’s inclusion in the United Nations and its specialized agencies,” Briceno said, adding that it would “further enhance global cooperation.”
Saint Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Timothy Harris renewed his country’s call for Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN community.
In a video played in the UN session, Harris praised Taiwan’s achievements and successes, saying his country strongly believes that Taiwan has an important role to play in international development strategies.
“Taiwan has demonstrated that it can be a true partner in health, and we have seen its exemplary response to the pandemic,” Harris said.
“My country looks forward to Taiwan being included in the UN system and its meetings, mechanisms and activities,” he added.
Friday was the fourth day of this year’s General Assembly session, by which time eight of Taiwan’s allies had made speeches.
Seven of those allies — Palau, Guatemala, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Paraguay, Belize, and Saint Kitts and Nevis — voiced their support for Taiwan, while the eighth, Honduras, refrained from mentioning Taiwan for the sixth consecutive year.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party