Twelve of Taiwan's diplomatic allies yesterday signed a petition protesting the UN's interpretation of UN Resolution 2758 and the world body's inappropriate listing of Taiwan as a province of China in a recent press release.
Two other allies -- Honduras and Kiribati -- filed separate protest letters.
Following the rejection of the Taiwanese government's first attempt to join the UN last year using the name Taiwan, the 12 allies delivered a petition to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sept. 25 asking the international body to process Taiwan's application through unbiased channels. The petition was returned by the UN at the end of October.
Dissatisfied with the UN's response, Taiwan's allies yesterday filed another petition to Ban's office in support of Taiwan's entry.
The 12 allies are St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Palau, Gambia, the Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, the Solomon Islands, Swaziland, Tuvalu, the Republic of Nauru, the Marshall Islands, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Belize and St. Lucia, the nation's newest ally.
Honduras and Kiribati, which do not have a representative office in the UN, decided to file separate letters.
In the letter, the allies said the UN had misinterpreted Resolution 2758 as stipulating that Taiwan was part of China. And in returning Taiwan's application to join the UN, the UN Secretariat had trespassed on the UN Security Council's jurisdiction.
The allies said they do not view Taiwan as part of China and support Taiwan's application as a new UN member. They asked Ban to be cautious about adopting advice and asked him to process Taiwan's application in accordance with the UN Constitution and UN Security Council regulations.
Kenneth Liao (廖港民), director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, who doubles as the head of Taiwan's UN working group, told the press that the nation's allies found the UN's treatment of Taiwan's application unacceptable, and that they voluntarily signed the latest protest.
The government also cannot accept the UN's handling of the issue, he said.
In response to the allies' prompt decision to take action during the Lunar New year instead of waiting until this summer, Liao said that Taiwan's UN working group in New York was already working like a UN permanent representative, and that participation in UN activities has already become a year-round activity for Taiwan.
The nation applied to join the UN under the name "Taiwan" for the first time during the UN's 64th General Assembly on Sept. 18 last year, but failed to gain admission. It marked the nation's 15th attempt to join the UN.
Japan has deployed long-range missiles in a southwestern region near China, the Japanese defense minister said yesterday, at a time when ties with Beijing are at their lowest in recent years. The missiles were installed in Kumamoto in the southern region of Kyushu, as Japan is attempting to shore up its military capacity as China steps up naval activity in the East China Sea. “Standoff defense capabilities enable us to counter the threat of enemy forces attempting to invade our country ... while ensuring the safety of our personnel,” Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi said. “This is an extremely important initiative for
MORE POPULAR: Taiwan Pass sales increased by 59 percent during the first quarter compared with the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said The Tourism Administration yesterday said that it has streamlined the Taiwan Pass, with two versions available for purchase beginning today. The tourism agency has made the pass available to international tourists since 2024, allowing them to access the high-speed rail, Taiwan Railway Corp services, four MRT systems and four Taiwan Tourist Shuttles. Previously, five types of Taiwan Pass were available, but some tourists have said that the offerings were too complicated. The agency said only two types of Taiwan Pass would be available, starting from a three-day pass with the high-speed rail and a three-day pass with Taiwan Railway Corp. The former costs NT$2,800
POLLS CONCERNS: There are concerns within the KMT that a Cheng Li-wun-Xi Jinping meeting could trigger a voter backlash in elections in November Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) accepted an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to visit next month, her party and Chinese state media reported yesterday. Cheng, who took up her role in November last year, “gladly accepted” the invitation to lead a delegation to China, the KMT said in a statement, confirming a Xinhua news agency report. Cheng “looks forward to joint efforts by both parties to advance the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, promote cross-strait exchanges and cooperation, and work for peace in the Taiwan Strait and greater well-being for people on both sides,” the statement said. Chinese
SIGNIFICANT TO THE WORLD: The delegation’s visit aims to send a clear message that bipartisan support for Taiwan is consistent, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen said The US Senate’s bipartisan support for Taiwan remains strong and Taiwan-US ties would continue for decades to come, a US Senate delegation said in Taipei yesterday, while calling on the legislature to swiftly pass a special defense budget bill. A US delegation led by Democratic US Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Republican US Senator John Curtis — both members of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations — arrived in Taiwan yesterday for a two-day visit. The other senators of the delegation included Senate Taiwan Caucus cochair Thom Tillis and Senate Committee on Armed Services senior member Jacky Rosen. Shaheen told a news
RSS