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.
RESPONSE: The transit sends a message that China’s alignment with other countries would not deter the West from defending freedom of navigation, an academic said Canadian frigate the Ville de Quebec and Australian guided-missile destroyer the Brisbane transited the Taiwan Strait yesterday morning, the first time the two nations have conducted a joint freedom of navigation operation. The Canadian and Australian militaries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Ministry of National Defense declined to confirm the passage, saying only that Taiwan’s armed forces had deployed surveillance and reconnaissance assets, along with warships and combat aircraft, to safeguard security across the Strait. The two vessels were observed transiting northward along the eastern side of the Taiwan Strait’s median line, with Japan being their most likely destination,
GLOBAL ISSUE: If China annexes Taiwan, ‘it will not stop its expansion there, as it only becomes stronger and has more force to expand further,’ the president said China’s military and diplomatic expansion is not a sole issue for Taiwan, but one that risks world peace, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that Taiwan would stand with the alliance of democratic countries to preserve peace through deterrence. Lai made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). “China is strategically pushing forward to change the international order,” Lai said, adding that China established the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, launched the Belt and Road Initiative, and pushed for yuan internationalization, because it wants to replace the democratic rules-based international
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
RSS