Taiwan has solicited considerable support from diplomatic allies, like-minded countries and international friends for its bid to join the UN system, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday.
Taiwan’s call for its inclusion in the UN system this year “has received more international support than ever before,” the ministry said a day after the General Debate of the 78th UN General Assembly had concluded in New York.
All of Taiwan’s official diplomatic allies apart from the Holy See, which is not a member of the UN, but an observer, spoke out directly or indirectly for Taiwan during their addresses, it said.
Photo: Ben Blanchard, Reuters
Czech President Petr Pavel voiced concerns about China’s military maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait and deplored its “unfriendly action against partners” in the South China Sea.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoko Kamikawa both underlined the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, while Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Hanke Bruins Slot expressed support for Taiwan’s international participation, it said.
Lawmakers from the US, Canada, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Hungary, Ireland, Spain, South Korea, Mexico and Brazil spoke out for Taiwan through various means, including passing pro-Taiwan bills, issuing statements, sending letters to the UN secretary-general and posting on social media, it said.
People who have received Taiwanese scholarships to study in Taiwan voiced their support for the first time by sending letters to the UN secretary-general and writing opinion pieces, it said.
The Taipei Representative Office in Bratislava cooperated with Slovak think tank GLOBSEC to hold seminars to ensure Europeans understand UN Resolution 2758 correctly, it said.
The resolution recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China,” but does not mention Taiwan and does not state that “Taiwan is part of the PRC,” as China claims, it said.
Academics from the UK, Poland, Greece, Denmark and Italy also published articles to refute China’s misinterpretation of the resolution and support Taiwan’s participation in the UN, it added.
The ministry said that at the Concordia Annual Summit in New York, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) via videoconference stressed the importance of Taiwan’s security and international participation to the international community, while Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) and Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang (唐鳳) joined the summit in person.
Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) held a dialogue with former US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs Daniel Russel to discuss Taiwan’s UN bid and cross-strait issues, it said.
Opinion pieces and interviews with Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and Taiwanese representatives abroad were published 468 times by international mainstream media, it said, adding that two promotional clips made by the ministry both gathered more than 10 million views.
The ministry also thanked Taiwanese legislators for supporting the government’s promotion efforts by joining campaign events organized by overseas Taiwanese in New York.
The Taiwanese community in Chicago on Tuesday published a full-page advertisement in the Washington Times enlisting support for Taiwan’s participation in the UN. The advertisement was also published in the Chicago Sun-Times yesterday.
The government is to continue promoting Taiwan’s bid to join the UN system as it is the basic right and shared hope of the 23 million Taiwanese, the ministry said.
It called on the UN not to succumb to pressure from China and misinterpret the resolution.
The UN should play an active role in promoting peace, stability and security across the Taiwan Strait and in the region to honor its principle of “leaving no one behind,” it said.
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