Foreign ministry officials yesterday said that Taiwan's ninth bid to re-enter the UN, while difficult, was still important in fostering international debate over Taiwan's status.
They also rejected as irrelevant advocacy of pro-independence groups that the nation should enter under the name of Taiwan instead of its formal name, saying the real obstacle to admission is Chinese intransigence, not the formal name that Taiwan uses.
"The real problem ... has nothing to do with the title under which we'd like to re-enter. The problem stems from China's interference," said Katharine Chang (張小月), spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"While controversy surrounding the title exists in Taiwan, it's not the main point, really. Because our formal designation of the nation, as stipulated in our Constitution, is the Republic of China, we might as well apply under this title," Chang added.
The government has once again initiated its now annual ritual to regain its UN seat which was lost in 1971. This year's attempt stands little chance of success, as China, a permanent member of the security council, continues to interfere with Taiwan's bid.
Nonetheless, in a letter dated Aug. 8 to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, 10 of Taiwan's 28 diplomatic allies urged the UN to "examine the exceptional international situation pertaining to the ROC on Taiwan" to ensure the "fundamental right of its twenty-three million people" to participate in the UN.
The 10 diplomatic allies that sponsored the letter were Belize, Burkina Faso, Chad, Dominica, El Salvador, the Gambia, Nicaragua, Palau, Senegal and Tuvalu.
The UN steering committee in New York will decide in early September whether to include the "Taiwan issue" on the General Assembly's agenda.
But pro-independence groups, including the Taiwan Independence Party and the Taiwanese-Canadian Association of Canada, among others, said the country's UN bid would not succeed if the government refuses to adopt a different title.
The Taiwan Independence Party is scheduled to stage a protest in front of the foreign ministry on Friday to urge the government to use the name of "Taiwan" rather than the ROC for its re-entry bid, sources said.
A high-ranking foreign ministry official, under condition of ananimity, said Taiwan's attempt to re-enter the international body is meant largely to trigger international debate on the status of Taiwan.
"Since the ROC's withdrawal from the UN, there has been little debate over the status of Taiwan within the international community ... and the attempt to re-enter the UN is meant to stress that here we are striving for recognition," the official said.
"From the perspective of bilateral ties between Taiwan and its allies, this move is positive as it demonstrates the moral commitment of our allies when establishing ties with us.
"Otherwise bilateral ties would amount to little more than those between aid donors and aid recipients," the official said.
The official said that the mere process of Taiwan's long-standing effort to re-enter the body reveals Taiwan's "existence," adding: "You exist since you are pushing for the move."
In 1971, the ROC gave up its UN seat after the UN General Assembly's decision to oust the ROC and admit the PRC.
According to Resolution number 2758, the "Resolution on the Restoration of the Lawful Rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations," the vote was 76 for the action and 35 against, with 17 abstentions.
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