A pro-Taiwanese independence civic group embarked yesterday on a weeklong journey to New York City to advocate the country’s right to bid for UN membership under the name Taiwan.
At a press conference held in Taipei yesterday before their departure, the group said “the annual trip to New York marks a continued effort by the people of Taiwan since 1979 to express their wish to be recognized by the UN.”
Taiwan has not been represented since 1971, when the Republic of China withdrew from the UN after a resolution ruled that the People’s Republic of China was the only legitimate representative of China to the international body. Since 1993, Taiwan’s annual bid to have the world body consider its full membership in the organization has failed because of opposition from Beijing.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
In 2008, the administration under President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) announced that it would give up making a formal bid through its diplomatic allies.
Earlier last month, Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添) outlined the government’s approach to participation in UN specialized agencies instead of applying for full UN membership. He said the strategy was in line with Ma’s policies of flexible diplomacy.
The Taiwan United Nations Alliance yesterday criticized the Ma administration’s current UN policy as jeopardizing Taiwan’s sovereignty and its people, leaving the nation “an international orphan.”
The group is scheduled to stage a rally in New York, where the 65th UN General Assembly began on Tuesday, in which it will deliver speeches and distribute fliers in support of full UN membership for Taiwan.
The group is scheduled to return to Taiwan Sept. 25
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY RICH CHANG
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
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