Taiwan's bid to join the UN has been thwarted for the 10th year. Of course, we will never despair. We should try again and again, until the international community fully sees China's unreasonable suppression and diplomatic blockade of Taiwan and supports justice for Taiwan.
As the Beijing regime babbles about its right to represent Taiwan's 23 million people, we also hear more than a few voices in the international community echoing the Chinese claim, describing Taiwan as a region under Beijing's jurisdiction and binding together two places that in fact have been separate for half a century. Such distortions are simply a retelling of the fable about the emperor's new clothes. Everyone knows Beijing's claim is not true but few have the guts to point it out.
This year, 22 out of the 86 countries attending the meeting of the UN General Assembly's General Committee supported the proposal to put the question of Taiwan's membership bid on the assembly's agenda. The US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other important countries maintained a "friendly silence" during the discussion, unlike their open opposition in the previous years. The UK said it welcomed the development of democracy in Taiwan, even though it did not support putting Taiwan's case on the agenda. Both the UK and Italy called for a peaceful resolution to the cross-strait dispute.
Judging from the actions of these countries at the General Committee meeting, we can say that the voice of those countries which see through the fraud of the emperor's clothes is getting louder, but has not yet become the majority opinion. Most countries know the facts -- they simply lack the courage to say them out loud.
For more than 50 years, Taipei and Beijing have gone their own ways on the political, economic, social and cultural fronts. Taiwan's achievements in recent years have made the gap between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait even larger. Taiwan has seen a dramatic political evolution since martial law was lifted in 1987 -- it has held two direct presidential elections and experienced a peaceful transition of political power. Such differences are an anathema to the Beijing government.
China has seen prosperity arrive in some of its regions, thanks to the massive inflow of foreign capital. But its people still lack the economic and political advantages that most people in Taiwan now take for granted. With Asia's largest armed forces under its control, Beijing continues to use its military power to try to intimidate the people of Taiwan. How can the majority of Taiwanese people not reject such hegemonic behavior?
We understand that it will be very difficult for Taiwan to join the UN as long as China is a permanent member of the Security Council. But Beijing managed to break through the Chiang Kai-shek (
Such myths will one day be rejected by the international community. Taiwan will not be shut out of the UN forever.
As China steps up a campaign to diplomatically isolate and squeeze Taiwan, it has become more imperative than ever that Taipei play a greater role internationally with the support of the democratic world. To help safeguard its autonomous status, Taiwan needs to go beyond bolstering its defenses with weapons like anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles. With the help of its international backers, it must also expand its diplomatic footprint globally. But are Taiwan’s foreign friends willing to translate their rhetoric into action by helping Taipei carve out more international space for itself? Beating back China’s effort to turn Taiwan into an international pariah
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Since the end of the Cold War, the US-China espionage battle has arguably become the largest on Earth. Spying on China is vital for the US, as China’s growing military and technological capabilities pose direct challenges to its interests, especially in defending Taiwan and maintaining security in the Indo-Pacific. Intelligence gathering helps the US counter Chinese aggression, stay ahead of threats and safeguard not only its own security, but also the stability of global trade routes. Unchecked Chinese expansion could destabilize the region and have far-reaching global consequences. In recent years, spying on China has become increasingly difficult for the US
Lately, China has been inviting Taiwanese influencers to travel to China’s Xinjiang region to make films, weaving a “beautiful Xinjiang” narrative as an antidote to the international community’s criticisms by creating a Potemkin village where nothing is awry. Such manipulations appear harmless — even compelling enough for people to go there — but peeling back the shiny veneer reveals something more insidious, something that is hard to ignore. These films are not only meant to promote tourism, but also harbor a deeper level of political intentions. Xinjiang — a region of China continuously listed in global human rights reports —
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