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.
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
Taiwan on Friday said a New Zealand hamburger restaurant has apologized for a racist remark to a Taiwanese customer after reports that it had first apologized to China sparked outrage in Taiwan. An image posted on Threads by a Taiwanese who ate at Fergburger in Queenstown showed that their receipt dated Sunday last week included the words “Ching Chang,” a racial slur. The Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch in a statement on Thursday said it had received and accepted an apology from the restaurant over the incident. The comment triggered an online furor among Taiwanese who saw it as an insult to the
RSS