The government has decided not to push its allies to submit a motion to the UN General Assembly next month for Taiwan to join the world body, a high-level government source said yesterday.
The decision was made to maintain a “moderate and reasonable” approach, after weighing different factors, the source said.
“The government has not submitted such a proposal since 2009. [Such a motion] is a double-edged sword and we must consider the costs and benefits, as well as internal and external factors,” said the source, who has first-hand knowledge of the matter.
An internal assessment suggests it would be more effective for Taiwan to gather international support by not seeking a membership motion and adhering to its usual “moderate and reasonable” advocating of the nation’s pragmatic, professional and constructive participation, the source said.
The Republic of China (ROC), a founding member of the UN, withdrew from the world body in October 1971 after the General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758, which recognized the People’s Republic of China as the lawful representative of China to the UN.
In 1993, the government launched what became an annual campaign to regain a UN seat. During former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) administration, it sought to obtain UN membership under the name “Taiwan.”
The government shelved its UN bid after then-president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) took office in 2008.
Ma’s administration instead pursued Taiwan’s meaningful participation at UN-affiliated organizations, an approach President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has maintained since she took office on May 20, 2016.
The source said the government plans to issue three demands this year: that the UN addresses Taiwan’s exclusion from the UN, because its 23 million people should enjoy the same rights as the rest of the world; that the UN ends measures preventing ROC citizens from entering UN meetings and Taiwanese reporters from covering them; that the UN ensures Taiwan’s rights to participate in meetings and events related to the realization of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in an equal and dignified manner.
To rally support for Taiwan’s cause, the government plans to ask its diplomatic allies to write a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres before the General Assembly opens on Sept. 18 and speak up for Taiwan during the UN General Debate from Sept. 25 to Oct. 1, the source said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also producing a series of short films promoting Taiwan’s achievements in some of the areas covered by the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), the source said, including clean energy, national healthcare coverage and a circular economy.
“The plan is to show the world that Taiwan is an important partner for sustainable development,” the source added.
The ministry has scheduled a news conference for tomorrow to announce its UN campaign.
In related news, the Guatemala embassy in Taipei yesterday said its government would maintain its diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
“In this regard, Guatemala is working very well with the Republic of China; we have many projects in common of different nature, which we are concentrated in developing each of them,” the embassy said in response to media inquiries.
Its remarks came hours after Guatemalan Ambassador Olga Maria Aguja Zuniga met with Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Maria Liu (劉德立) at the ministry amid rumors that the nation has been listed by the government as a high-risk ally.
A source familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Liu also met with Honduran Ambassador Rafael Fernando Sierra Quesada.
SILENCING CRITICS: In addition to blocking Taiwan, China aimed to prevent rights activists from speaking out against authoritarian states, a Cabinet department said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday condemned transnational repression by Beijing after RightsCon, a major digital human rights conference scheduled to be held in Zambia this week, was abruptly canceled due to Chinese pressure over Taiwanese participation. This year’s RightsCon, the world’s largest conference discussing issues “at the intersection of human rights and technology,” was scheduled to take place from tomorrow to Friday in Lusaka, and expected to draw 2,600 in-person attendees from 150 countries, along with 1,100 online participants. However, organizers were forced to cancel the event due to behind-the-scenes pressure from China, the ministry said, expressing its “strongest condemnation”
Taiwan’s economy grew far faster than expected in the first quarter, as booming demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications drove a surge in exports, spilling over into investment and consumption, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday. GDP growth was 13.69 percent year-on-year during the January-to-March period, beating the DGBAS’ February forecast by 2.23 percentage points and marking the most robust growth in nearly four decades, DGBAS senior official Chiang Hsin-yi (江心怡) told a news conference in Taipei. The result was powered by exports, which remain the backbone of Taiwan’s economy, Chiang said. Outbound shipments jumped 51.12 percent year-on-year to
DELAYED BUT DETERMINED: The president’s visit highlights Taiwan’s right to international engagement amid regional pressure from China President Willaim Lai (賴清德) yesterday arrived in Eswatini, more than a week after his planned visit to Taiwan’s sole African ally was suspended because of revoked overflight permits. “The visit, originally scheduled for April 22, was postponed due to unforeseen external factors,” Lai wrote on social media. “After several days of careful arrangements by our diplomatic and national security teams, we successfully arrived today.” Lai said he looked forward to further deepening Taiwan-Eswatini relations through closer cooperation in the economy, agriculture, culture and education, as well as advancing the nation’s international partnerships. The president was initially scheduled to arrive in time to celebrate
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) yesterday said the US faced a choice between an “impossible” military operation or a “bad deal” with Tehran, after US President Donald Trump disparaged Iran’s latest peace proposal. Negotiations between the two countries have been deadlocked since a ceasefire came into effect on April 8, with only one round of direct peace talks held so far. Iran’s Tasnim and Fars news agencies reported that Tehran had submitted a 14-point proposal to mediator Pakistan, but Trump was quick to cast doubt on it. “I will soon be reviewing the plan that Iran has just sent to us, but
RSS