A resolution has been introduced in the US Congress calling for support for Taiwan's participation in international organizations. It is carefully worded to avoid challenging US policy that it will not support Taiwan's participation in international organizations that require statehood. The resolution already has the sponsorship of 42 members of the House of Representatives, and will likely pass both the House and the Senate. It is a "sense of the Congress" resolution, however, meaning that no specific action is required.
At the same time the resolution was being introduced, the first conference of Taiwan NGOs was held, in Taipei. President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) encouraged the NGOs to play an important role in international affairs and policy making and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Hung-mao
Though there was no connection between the two events, they both were a part of an effort to probe for ways in which Taiwan can become a part of the international community, in a rapidly changing system of conducting international relations.
The reason for this search is Taiwan's need to overcome its own past actions, and those of the PRC and the US. Efforts by the PRC to undermine Taiwan's identity in the international community not only continue but have intensified to include non-government institutions. By politicizing membership regardless of the purpose of the institution or organization, the PRC maximizes its influence. It has been very successful, though apparently its recent effort to inject its "one China" principle into Taiwan's WTO membership is likely to fail.
Until recent years, the US held an ambiguous, largely unspoken position on Taiwan's participation in international organizations. The Taiwan Relations Act(TRA), section 4D, contains the statement that "Nothing in this Act may be construed as a basis for supporting the exclusion or expulsion of Taiwan from continued membership in any international financial institution or any other international organization."
With the coming of democracy and the pressures for "international living space" in Taiwan, the US, to avoid yet another problem in its relations with the PRC, included in the results of the 1994 Taiwan Policy Review a statement that it would not support Taiwan's membership in any international organization that requires statehood. Despite section 4D in the TRA, the Congress did not take issue with this policy statement. It was repeated in the "3 no's" statement by President Bill Clinton in 1998. This did considerable harm to Taiwan's efforts for greater participation in the international community.
In the 1970's Taiwan had eschewed membership in the UN for political reasons. In retrospect, that decision made any efforts at re-entry in future years almost impossible. Beyond that, however, membership in other international organizations did not always seem a top priority. The actions of all three countries, therefore, emphasized the political dimension of any effort at international participation for Taiwan (a position where the PRC has its greatest influence).
But the environment in which international affairs are being conducted is changing. The growth of democracy and the spread of the changes brought about by the information revolution are eroding past concepts of sovereignty and the rules of national governance. This in turn is diminishing the power of government, while it enhances the role NGOs can play, not only in managing projects in areas where government cannot or does not do so, but increasingly even in contributing to the development of national policies.
If one imagines where that trend is taking us -- a diminished role for government, and an enhanced role for NGOs -- then it would not be difficult to conjure up a separate entity with its own distinct identity -- for instance Taiwan -- that could gain a status much like that of any country, without being a challenge to other countries' sovereignty. The meaning of sovereignty would have changed.
That is a possible future. But if one takes into account the concept of sovereignty that still persists in the PRC, for Taiwan that future is not very imminent. It is one that is anathema to the PRC in that it challenges party control, and weakens government's control over both ethnic minorities and more prosperous provinces. It may be that modernization there inevitably will bring these results, but one can be assured that the leadership of the PRC will make every effort to prevent it.
This means that Taiwan for the foreseeable future is faced with the daunting challenge of pursuing its need for "international breathing space" in three directions. First is to continue to nurture and strengthen those countries that have found it in their interest to maintain full diplomatic relations with Taiwan. That does provide some basis for claiming sovereignty under the definitions that exist today and that the PRC is still clinging to it.
Second is the need to pursue other means under which Taiwan can participate in international organizations as an interim step. Although it already participates in the Asia Development Bank and APEC, its membership in WTO could go a long way to build international credibility, and perhaps more importantly even in the PRC, that its presence in fact is beneficial. The effort need not be restricted to organizations that do not require statehood, despite the lack of support from the US, and opposition from the PRC. There are many financial, development and other institutions where Taiwan can make a strong case, but will need persistence to overcome.
And third is the need to vigorously continue what has been started by the recent NGO conference in Taipei. NGOs, corporate foundations, will have to understand how important their contribution can be in strength-ening Taiwan's international presence. As the NGO movement throughout the world grows and its role in international affairs increases, Taiwan should not be left out. It is better to defend one's interest from the inside than to be a supplicant on the outside.
Nat Bellocchi is the former chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan and is now a special adviser to the Liberty Times Group.
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