UN entry tactics
The Taiwan UN Alliance, headed by Michael Tsai (蔡明憲), wrote a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon about Taiwanese interest in joining the UN General Assembly under the name “Taiwan.” Without opening the letter, Ban returned it to Tsai — as if he himself and Taiwan never existed.
UN Resolution 2758 in 1971 said that the UN seat held by the Republic of China (ROC) would be replaced by the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Taiwan, with a population of 23.5 million, has not been represented at the UN for the past 45 years. Many Taiwanese have even been banned from visiting UN buildings.
According to the San Francisco Peace Treaty of 1951 signed by 48 UN member states, neither the ROC nor PRC has sovereignty over Taiwan. Taiwan can only be represented by Taiwanese.
Last year when China held a military parade in Beijing, Ban was invited as a guest of honor to witness the armed forces and their powerful weapons, including missiles aimed at Taiwan. Ban, the chief of the UN, which promotes world peace, was a complete misfit in that situation.
It is nice to know that Ban’s term finishes at the end of this year. It is hoped that the new secretary-general, former Portuguese prime minister Antonio Guterres, will do a better job than Ban.
Charles Hong
Columbus, Ohio
On Sept. 17 New Power Party Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) addressed to the UN for Taiwan group at a rally at New York’s One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza.
He said that a lot of Americans were surprised that Taiwan is not a UN member and that Taiwan should have equal rights in the international community.
He asked friends around the world to keep supporting Taiwan to fight against the only missing piece of the UN.
He led the group to answer questions: “What do we want? Representation. When do we want it? Now.”
“UN for Taiwan” was the slogan throughout the entire event.
Freddy’s speech earned applause and echoes, but does it work? Is Taiwan ready for UN membership? Why does the UN keep rejecting Taiwan’s membership application?
At its inception in 1945 there were 51 member states that formed the UN. Seventy-one years later, there are an additional 142 member states. South Sudan was welcomed as the 193rd member. In principle, only sovereign states can become UN members and all UN members are sovereign states. So is Taiwan or the ROC a sovereign state? If so, why is the nation not a UN member?
Does Taiwan have sovereignty? Yes. Before the end of World War II, Taiwan did have sovereignty; it was owned by Japan and none questioned it. Japan renounced all rights, titles and claims to Formosa and the Pescadores in the San Francisco Peace Treaty. There was no recipient named, but it authorized the US Military Government as the principal occupying power.
On Sept. 2, 1945, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) was authorized by US general Douglas MacArthur under General Order No. 1 to militarily occupy Taiwan and the Pescadores. Since then the military occupation has never been lifted.
Chiang’s military occupation brought in the ROC as the sovereign leader of Taiwan in 1945, but it died in 1949 when it was kicked out of China by Mao Zedong (毛澤東) of the PRC. Even the official seat the ROC held at the UN was replaced by the PRC in 1971 under UN Resolution 2758. After that, the ROC was really nothing and did not even qualify as an exiled government.
So, what is Taiwan today; a sovereign state, a republic? Or it is still covered under the corpse of the ROC? It is a serious illusion to think that most Taiwanese mistook popular sovereignty for territorial sovereignty, which is what is required for UN membership. Taiwanese presidents are officially elected under the ROC banner, not Taiwan. So, there is no Taiwan nation as yet.
The dilemma facing Taiwan today is how to identify itself. In 1946, Taiwanese were forced to naturalize as Chinese under the ROC’s illegal order. In 1952, Taiwanese were deemed ROC nationals under the Treaty of Taipei Article 10. Since then, Taiwanese carry an ROC passport identifying themselves as Chinese. So, who are the Taiwanese? What is their identity? Are they Taiwanese or Chinese? Taiwanese carry Chinese identification documents to travel the world and that is accepted by the US and Japan. Is that not it a joke?
The majority of Formosans believe they are Taiwanese, not Chinese. Even President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has said she is the Taiwanese president, writing it in a registration book at the Panama Canal Expansion Project opening ceremony.
Why then do Taiwanese keep using ROC passports to identify themselves as Chinese not Taiwanese? It simply does not make sense. Sometimes it is hard to understand why Taiwanese repeatedly bring up the ROC to challenge the PRC’s legitimacy.
According to the “status quo” of US policy on Taiwan, there is only “one China,” it is the PRC and Taiwan is not a part of China. It should be a very clear statement for both China and Taiwan to follow. The US even passed a law in 1979 to advise Taiwanese that it no longer recognized the ROC as a sovereign state under the Taiwan Relations Act. Taiwan is Taiwan not the ROC, there should only be one Taiwan government and one Taiwan military, no more in name of the ROC. The US will absolutely keep its “one China” policy.
Any attempt to challenge the “one China” policy would be rejected by both the US and China. Now Taiwan wears the ROC jacket and looks for engagement in the international community — obstructed by the PRC. It says that Taiwan must accept the so-called “1992 consensus,” which means that Taiwan is a part of China. That is what had happened prior to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly. How can Taiwan overcome this outrageous suppression?
Tsai said: “We will not bow to pressure, these kinds of challenges and difficulties are expected to continue, but Taiwan’s efforts will also endure. In the ICAO incident, the world has seen Taiwan’s endeavors, with many nations, regardless of whether they have diplomatic relations with us, expressing their support for Taiwan’s participation. We will build substantial cooperative relationships with other nations based on sincere friendship and when we take up the role of a key participant in global affairs, we cannot be, and will not be, ignored by the world.”
Yes, once Taiwan can realize the illusory nation of the ROC, wake up from the pipe dream and drop it completely with no more challenges from the PRC for legitimacy, no more competition with the PRC about “one China,” then it is time for Taiwan to concentrate on international engagement and look for support. Taiwan’s democratization will certainly earn respect and help from worldwide international communities.
God helps those who help themselves, those who help themselves then have friends’ help. Taiwanese must identify as Taiwanese first. When Taiwan is Taiwan then they can overcome any challenge and suppression from China.
John Hsieh
Hayward, California
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