The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) reacted positively yesterday to reports that the US had pressured China into dropping its proposal to initiate a UN vote on whether Taiwan is part of China.
DPP caucus whip Wang Tuoh (
"Taiwan is an independent state. It does not belong to the [People's Republic of China (PRC)]. We hope the international community, including the member states of the UN, will accept Taiwan's application for UN membership," Wang said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Tseng Yuan-chuan (曾永權) said his party approved of the US decision to reject China's position that Taiwan is part of the PRC.
"There is nothing wrong with the US making such remarks as its Taiwan Relations Act clearly says that the development of US-Taiwan relations should be beneficial to both sides," Tseng said.
The DPP and KMT were reacting to a report in the Chinese-language China Times that said China had canceled its plans for a vote on the issue. Beijing reportedly said that as it was already a matter of UN consensus that Taiwan is part of China, there was no need for a vote.
letter
The report said that the US wrote a letter to the UN expressing its objections to the Chinese proposal.
Chinese Ambassador to the UN Wang Guangya (王光亞) presented the proposal to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Aug. 16 in reaction to Taiwan's application for UN membership under the name "Taiwan" in July.
In a nine-point clarification, the US told the UN that there was no consensus among UN members that "Taiwan is part of the People's Republic of China," adding that this is not US policy.
While receiving Heritage Foundation researcher Harvey Feldman yesterday afternoon, President Chen Shui-bian (
Taiwan has sought to join the UN since 1993. This year, Chen opted to apply for membership under the name "Taiwan," submitting an application to that effect to Ban.
Ban rejected the application, saying the Taiwan issue had been resolved when the UN passed Resolution 2758 in 1971.
The US has criticized Taiwan over its use of the name "Taiwan," saying Taipei is willfully provoking Beijing. China routinely interprets actions taken by the DPP as moves toward formal independence.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman David Wang (
difference in policy
Wang said it would not be surprising if the US had sent such a message to the UN because Ban's stance on the issue differed from US policy, as outlined in its official documents.
The difference, Wang said, was that Ban argued that Taiwan is "recognized" as being part of the "People's Republic of China," but the US only "acknowledges" China's claim that "Taiwan is part of China."
Wang said the ministry had no information to suggest that China had dropped its plan for a vote on Taiwan because of US pressure.
China might not have obtained the desired result if it had stuck to its plan, Wang said, adding that not every UN member would accept the Chinese position.
Wang said countries used different tactics when signing communiques on the establishment of diplomatic relations with China.
Some countries have used wording to the effect that they "take note of" China's claim over Taiwan, others said they "respect" China's claim, while still others made no mention of the issue, he said.
Additional reporting by Flora Wang
RESILIENCE: Taiwan plays a key role in semiconductors, energy, information infrastructure and advanced manufacturing, AIT Director Raymond Greene said Taiwan’s continued investment in deterrence and resilience remains vital, especially in uncrewed systems and other emerging technologies, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene said yesterday. Greene made the remarks at the annual National Strategic Summit on Supply Chain Resilience held by the Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET), a government-backed think tank. As Taiwan last year became the US’ fourth-largest trading partner and supply chain security is becoming more important, cooperation in emerging technologies continues to deepen between the two countries, he said. The US is committed to accelerating innovation, building key infrastructure, strengthening cooperation
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday showcased its locally developed variants of the Vision 60 robotic patrol dog, which it plans to deploy on the nation’s outlying territories in the South China Sea. The variants were produced under the Joint Lab project — created by the institute and domestic companies — and assembled with domestically produced motors, lenses and artificial intelligence (AI) systems alongside licensed tech from the US, Missile and Rocket Systems Research Division deputy director Jen Kuo-kang (任國光) told the media event at a military base in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Taiwan has built up its strengths
RIGHT DIRECTION: Taiwan’s efforts to prevent forced labor include a proposal to ‘fully prohibit’ employers from withholding workers’ documents, an official said Taiwan is to establish a mechanism to restrict imports of goods linked to forced labor, the Executive Yuan said yesterday, after the US proposed imposing additional tariffs on Taiwanese goods over labor concerns. “The Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Economic Affairs are to establish an interministerial review procedure,” Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said at a news briefing in Taipei. “The government is to use the Foreign Trade Act [貿易法] as the legal basis to restrict imports of goods produced with forced labor” and bring its supply chain governance more in line with international standards on human rights, resilience
NOT IMMEDIATE: Taiwan has a chance to appeal the proposed 10 percent tariff before it starts, while other countries face a 12.5 percent tariff from the trade office Taiwan is among 60 economies determined by the US to have failed to impose or enforce a ban on the importation of goods produced with forced labor, according to a notice released on Tuesday by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), which proposed imposing an additional 10 percent or more tariff on them. The USTR in a statement said that following an investigation, it had determined under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 that the failure of the 60 economies to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor is
RSS