The government will be more pragmatic and flexible than its predecessor in pushing forward the nation’s bid to join the UN, a senior diplomatic official said yesterday.
Government agencies such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Security Council and the Mainland Affairs Council will meet later this month to discuss the issue, said the official, who wished to remain anonymous.
The official, who has been involved in matters relating to international organizations for more than 10 years, was responding to President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) recent remarks that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was studying a new approach to promoting the nation’s UN bid in line with the changing situation.
Ma said the two referendums on the country’s entry into the world body under the name “Taiwan” and “Republic of China” held alongside the March 22 presidential election had failed because neither attracted enough votes to make the outcomes binding. His administration would therefore adopt a new strategy to promote the country’s UN bid.
The official said the cross-strait situation changed after the inauguration of the Ma administration and that in the face of a “completely different atmosphere” it was necessary for the country to adjust the manner in which it promotes its accession to various international organizations such as the UN and the WHO.
Asked whether the nation would apply for UN membership under the name “Republic of China,” “Chinese Taipei” or other, more flexible names, the official said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was soliciting the opinion of experts and academics and exchanging views with other government agencies on the matter.
After an internal consensus on a new approach is reached, the government would consult with diplomatic allies as well as the US, Japan and the EU on its feasibility, the official said.
The official said, however, that it was unlikely the new administration would file an application for UN membership under the name “Taiwan” this year.
Because of Beijing’s obstruction, the nation has failed every year in its more than a decade-long bid to regain membership at the UN, which it gave up in 1971.
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