Several more of Taiwan's diplomatic allies voiced their support for the country's bid to join the UN on Thursday during the annual session of the UN General Assembly.
Nauru, Gambia and Palau threw their weight behind Taiwan on the third day of the general debate, following similar moves by El Salvador, Honduras, Paraguay, Sao Tome and Principe and Swaziland over the previous two days.
Nauruan President Ludwig Scotty said during the debate that it was against UN rules for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to have returned Taiwan's membership application letters last month based on 1971's UN Resolution 2758, which recognized the People's Republic of China (PRC) as the sole legitimate representative of China at the UN.
Scotty urged Ban to accept Taiwan's application immediately and submit it to the UN Security Council for review.
Accusing Ban of misinterpreting the resolution by claiming that it recognized Taiwan as part of the PRC, Scotty said that the resolution does not state that Taiwan is part of China, nor does it deny that Taiwan has the right to obtain representation in the UN.
Scotty said that Taiwan and China have long been governed separately and that Taiwan's popularly elected government is the nation's sole legitimate ruler, adding that Taiwan had no intention of challenging China's representation in the world body.
Meanwhile, Gambian Vice President Isatou Njie-Saidy called the UN's attention to the problem of the increasing militarization of the Taiwan Strait, describing the region as one where immediate security measures are required.
As an economic powerhouse with a pluralistic society and a high-tech environment, Taiwan should not be excluded from the UN, Njie-Saidy said.
Also speaking during the debate, Palauan Vice President Elias Camsek Chin expressed his disappointment at Taiwan's exclusion from the world body and criticized Ban for failing to abide by UN rules in handling Taiwan's membership applications.
The general debate is scheduled to last through Oct. 13 and more allies of Taiwan are expected to take the floor during the next few days, during which they are likely to bring up the issue of Taiwan's UN bid.
While Taiwan has tried without success to have the UN consider the issue of its representation since 1993, this year marked the first time that it applied to join the world body under the name "Taiwan" and not its official title, the "Republic of China."
However, following the return of Taiwan's application by the UN Secretariat last month, a request endorsed by 16 of the nation's allies asking the UN to address the nation's membership application was also excluded from last week's UN General Assembly agenda.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS