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
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China has reserved offshore airspace over the Yellow Sea and East China Sea from March 27 to May 6, issuing alerts that are usually used to warn of military exercises, although no such exercises have been announced, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Sunday. Reserving such a large area for 40 days without explanation is an “unusual step,” as military exercises normally only last a few days, the paper said. The alerts, known as notice to air missions (NOTAMs), “are intended to inform pilots and aviation authorities of temporary airspace hazards or restrictions,” the article said. The airspace reserved in the alert
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