The annual debate of the 69th session of the UN General Assembly concluded on Tuesday, during which 16 of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies spoke out for the country, the same number as last year.
Taiwan should be allowed to participate in UN specialized organizations, said the heads of state, high-ranking government officials and representatives from the allies during the assembly, which began on Sept. 24.
The international organizations include the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the WHO, they said, recognizing the contributions Taiwan has already made.
Belizean Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington said on Tuesday that his country has benefited from Taiwan’s help and urged that Taipei be permitted to participate in the specialized agencies.
“In this modern day and age, it is incomprehensible that we should want to deny ourselves the benefit of their [Taiwan’s] expertise in dealing with global issues,” Elrington said.
Solomon Islands permanent representative to the UN Collin Beck cited the 45 million passengers who passed through Taiwan in 2012 as a reason to include the country in the ICAO.
“We just do not have the luxury of time to turn a blind eye to needed cooperation. The global challenges before us are too big for narrow interests to take a wait and see approach, and keep postponing needed action,” Beck said.
Beck described Taiwan as the 27th-largest economy in the world with “experience, technology and capability that our shared agenda can benefit from.”
“We have all to gain and nothing to lose by inviting the Republic of China [to become the] 195th member of the UNFCCC, 192nd member of ICAO and the 195th member of WHO,” Beck said, according to a UN transcript of the speech.
Among others who spoke for Taiwan were Saint Lucia Minister of External Affairs Alva Baptiste, Nicaraguan Minister of Foreign Affairs Samuel Santos Lopez and Paraguayan permanent representative to the UN Jose Antonio Dos Santos.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
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