The Taiwan Solidarity Union's (TSU) legislative caucus yesterday demanded the government use "Taiwan" when bidding for UN membership, but Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Kau (高英茂) said the government was unlikely to do so now.
The TSU said that as recent polls showed that most people supported using the name Taiwan when bidding for membership in international organizations, the government should change its tactic and bid for a UN seat with the name of "Taiwan." "According to UN Resolution 2758, the ROC no longer exists. It will be impossible for Taiwan to obtain its UN membership if we continue to bid with the name of ROC," TSU caucus whip Huang Chung-yung (黃宗源) said.
TSU caucus whip Chen Chien-ming (陳建銘) reiterated the caucus' stand when interpellating Premier Yu Shyi-kun and Kau during the legislature's sitting yesterday.
While Yu also hinted at his reluctance to retain the name of ROC, Kau said the government was at this point trying to remain ambiguous about the national name when bidding for UN membership.
"The main reason we have failed so many times in bidding for UN membership is because we are bidding with the name ROC. When we use ROC, it seems that we are trying to fight China for the seat, so it is very difficult to bid for the membership with the name ROC," Yu said, when questioned by Chen on the reason of Taiwan's numerous failed bid for UN membership.
"The government is trying to remain in the gray area between the names Taiwan and ROC when bidding for UN membership, and we have not officially claimed that we will join the UN with the name the ROC," Kao said.
Kao said that instead the government had stated in its promotional brochure that the UN Assembly should respond to the issue of the representation of the 23 million people in Taiwan.
To seek support from fellow legislators, the TSU caucus also asked the legislature to pass a resolution yesterday in support of bidding for membership in the world body using the name "Taiwan," but the motion was rejected by pan-blue legislators, who hold a majority of seats.
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