The 64th session of the UN General Assembly opened at UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday. As an independent, sovereign state, Taiwan has the right to be a member of the world body — a wish and demand of the majority of Taiwanese.
As the previous administration was preparing to promote the nation’s bid for UN membership under the name “Taiwan” in 2007, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), then in opposition, organized a protest against the government’s referendum proposal on joining the body.
Then-KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) issued a statement to the effect that the parade expressed the opinion of the general public and supported equal status for Taiwan in the international community.
Ma’s promises are still ringing in our ears, but since his accession to power, all the political checks he issued have bounced.
Last year, the Ma administration adopted a softer approach by promoting Taiwan’s “meaningful participation in UN specialized agencies” rather than full membership to create diplomatic reconciliation with Beijing.
This year the government made an even bigger change to its approach by abandoning the annual campaign of mobilizing diplomatic allies to request that the UN General Assembly include Taiwan’s bid for UN membership on its agenda, a campaign that started in 1993.
The Ma administration instead bowed to China and asked for its permission for Taiwan to participate in UN specialized agencies as a member that is inferior to an independent state.
Not only is Ma making the nation’s diplomacy dependent on Chinese whim, he has repeatedly muddied issues of sovereignty — even declaring a diplomatic truce with Beijing. This move runs counter to the demands of the majority of Taiwanese and has greatly harmed the nation’s international profile and dignity.
Taiwan has not been a part of China since 1895, and in this time, it has evolved into an independent, sovereign state.
If the government were not to apply for UN membership under the name Taiwan in accordance with Article 4 of the UN Charter, or seek international support for Taiwan’s bid for UN membership through tangible actions, it would fail to demonstrate that Taiwan is a peace-loving country, as well as a sovereign and independent nation that is not subordinate to the People’s Republic of China nor under its jurisdiction.
The Ma administration’s failure to defend Taiwan’s sovereignty and its decision to abandon the nation’s UN bid will mislead Taiwan’s diplomatic allies and give the wrong impression that China has sovereignty over Taiwan. In so doing, Taiwan is further pushed into the trap of unification with China.
Taiwan’s bid for UN membership may still have a long way to go, but it is not a mission impossible. As long as we work together in the right direction, our dream will come true.
Chen Lung-chu is president of the Taiwan New Century Foundation.
TRANSLATED BY TED YANG
When I visited Taiwan last summer, I called on the nation to use its status as a technology superpower to build superweapons. It is obvious to me as I return a year later that Taiwan is now answering that call. By 2030, Taiwan envisions a domestic drone hub, capable of producing large quantities of drones per year. The nation continues to tighten cooperation across the private sector, scientific researchers and the elected government, on creating new and innovative production avenues for defense, while efforts to become central to the “democratic supply chain” are only increasing. Anduril is seeing all of these positive
Singaporean former Prime Minister and current senior minister Lee Hsien- Loong(李顯龍) last month stood on Chinese soil and told Beijing that Singapore cooperates because of “shared interests”, not because of common “ethnic descent,” a significant statement that has upended China’s cognitive warfare tactics of “ethnic nationalism.” Along with using its military buildup and economic growth to expand its international dominance, China has long deployed ethnic politics to promote the idea that all ethnic Chinese around the world, regardless of citizenship, share a tight bond with the Chinese motherland, by which it means the regime of the People’s Republic of China (PRC)
A recent report concerning a student who is suing his teacher posed the question in its headline: Does failing a student in two subjects constitute bullying? The college student in Chiayi County apparently sought NT$2 million (US$63,603) in state compensation, but a court dismissed the case. The first reaction of many might have been to ask: What has happened to students nowadays? Some say that teachers have lost their authority, while others say students are overindulged. Some even start reminiscing over the days when “whatever the teacher says goes.” However, the real issue might be overlooked if emotional reactions like that are the
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) in San Francisco on Tuesday last week said if she had not met with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), she would have been “just a plain” and “even negligible” KMT chairperson, bluntly signaling the role she is playing in her visit to the US — Beijing’s messenger from Taiwan. Cheng and her delegation arrived in the US on Monday last week for a two-week visit across five major cities. Her party said the group is scheduled to meet with US lawmakers, officials, policy experts and businesspeople. Before departing, Cheng said her trip
RSS