As the United Nations General Assembly begins its high-level segment on Sept. 19, there are an increasing number of calls for Taiwan’s inclusion in the international organization.
The nation of 23 million people has been barred from the U.N. since 1971, when U.N. Resolution 2758 accepted the Chinese communist regime as the legitimate representative of China.
As tensions across the Taiwan Strait continue to escalate, the debate about Taiwan’s status in the U.N. system is heating up as well.
A coalition of Taiwanese-American organizations issued a joint press release Sept. 9, accusing the U.N. of yielding to pressure from China, erroneously interpreting U.N. Resolution 2758, and inappropriately excluding Taiwan from the diplomatic organization.
‘Is China Running the UN?’
The U.N.’s 78th General Assembly convened Sept. 5. The global organization’s high-level meetings—formally known as the “General Debate”—will kick off Sept. 19. Representatives and heads of state from 193 member nations will come together at U.N. headquarters in New York to address issues of importance to them.Notably, Taiwan will not be present. Currently, Taiwan passport holders are not allowed to enter the United Nations. In previous years, Taiwanese journalists, like journalists from all around the world, were present at the U.N. However, journalists with media credentials issued by Taiwan are no longer allowed to enter the U.N.
The exclusion prompted a French reporter to ask a U.N. spokesperson in March, “Is China running the U.N.?”
Hands Off Taiwan
“The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) should get its hands off Taiwan,” said Li Hanwen, who spoke at the press event. Ms. Li is the spokeswoman for the Taiwan Forum and the Northern California School Association for Languages of Taiwan. The organizations were among ten Taiwanese-American groups that coordinated the press conference.“The United Nations is an important communication platform. Excluding Taiwan from this platform is very dangerous, especially during [a] time when the peace across Taiwan Strait is challenged,” said Zhuang Yashu, director of the Culture Center of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Milpitas, California.
Leaders from several other Taiwanese organizations in northern California urged Americans to support Taiwan.
Zhou Xinjie, the president of the Northern California South Bay Taiwanese Association, criticized Beijing’s aggressive diplomacy style and said that people who love freedom and democracy must help Taiwan participate in the U.N.
US Congress Passes Taiwan Solidarity Act
Taiwan’s exclusion was based on U.N. Resolution 2758, passed in 1971. Taiwan was formally expelled from the organization and its seat was given to the People’s Republic of China.“Resolution 2758 (XXVI) established the representatives of the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the only lawful representatives of China to the United Nations. The resolution did not address the issue of representation of Taiwan and its people in the United Nations or any related organizations, nor did the resolution take a position on the relationship between the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan or include any statement pertaining to Taiwan’s sovereignty.”
The text of HR 1176 states that its purpose is to “provide that the United States, as a member of any international organizations, should oppose any attempts by the People’s Republic of China to resolve Taiwan’s status by distorting the decisions, language, policies, or procedures of the organization, and for other purposes.”
In response, Chinese state media Global Times published an article on July 26, calling H.R. 1176 a provocative action against U.N. Resolution 2758, and accusing the U.S. Congress of “purposely twisting ... U.N. Resolution 2758.”
The contents of the original resolution, written in less than 200 words, are as follows:
Not a single word in the resolution mentions Taiwan.
The statement asked the U.N. to “stop the discriminatory policy against Taiwan passport holders and journalists,” and to “facilitate peace, stability, and security across the Taiwan Strait and the region.”
Finally, it called on the U.N. to give Taiwan the right to “meaningfully participate in meetings, mechanisms, and activities related to the implementation of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals and make greater contributions.”
