An online petition launched by a US citizen calling on the US to formally recognize “Taiwan as [an] independently governed nation” yesterday passed the 100,000 signature threshold.
The petition, submitted to the White House Web site “We the People” on Monday last week by a person identified only as “K.W.,” argues that Taiwan could only join the UN if the US recognized its sovereignty and set an example for other nations.
The White House generally responds to petitions within 60 days of the threshold being reached, the Web site says.
Screen grab from the White House Web site
“However, depending on the topic and the overall volume of petitions from We the People, responses may be delayed,” it says.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday acknowledged the petition and said it would continue to deepen its “friendly partnership” with the US.
The ministry respects the action by the petitioner, but reminds the public that launching White House petitions is a personal undertaking by US citizens, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said.
The ministry would continue to monitor developments related to the petition and would continue to develop relations with the US through existing channels, she said.
This is not the first time a petition has been launched calling on a foreign government to recognize Taiwan.
Michael Kreuzberg on May 31 submitted a petition to the Bundestag asking the German government to establish diplomatic relations with Taiwan and on Sept. 11 posted the petition online to collect signatures.
The petition reached the 50,000 signature threshold by the deadline on Oct. 3 and the Bundestag is expected to put the issue on its agenda for debate.
In 2016, a petition calling on the British government to recognize Taiwan was launched on the UK government’s petition Web site.
While the petition reached the threshold to prompt a response from the British government, London at the time said the Taiwan issue requires dialogue across the Taiwan Strait to establish a consensus between people from the two sides.
Additional reporting by CNA
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