Taiwan's ninth bid to re-enter the UN failed again on Friday, prompting harsh words from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over Beijing's maneuvers to block the bid this year.
The UN steering committee decided not to put the issue of Taiwan's entry in the world body on the UN General Assembly's agenda this year, according to a foreign ministry press release yesterday.
"Communist China's habitual and persistent hindrance shows its ignorance of reality and also hurts the feelings of the people of Taiwan," the press release stated.
During a debate of record length in the UN steering committee that lasted over four hours, 24 countries -- all of them Taiwan's diplomatic allies -- spoke in favor of putting the item on the agenda while 67 opposed such an action.
Last year 19 countries spoke in favor of Taiwan's stance while 47 voiced their opposition.
The US, as expected, did not take the floor during the debate as it did during 1999 and last year to reiterate its "one China" policy that indirectly opposed the bid.
A foreign ministry official saw the rise in the number of countries speaking against Taiwan as a result of China's increasing efforts to block the issue.
The official said, on condition of anonymity, that the reason for such efforts was China's expectation that the US would remain neutral rather than stating its tacit opposition.
"Expecting the US not to speak against the issue, China made great efforts [to encourage other countries to voice their opposition] so as to even the score," the official told the Taipei Times.
Persuading the US to stay neutral during the UN debate was the top priority for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this year, officials from the ministry said.
"Some member countries, such as Britain, France and Italy, took the floor to urge both sides of the Taiwan Strait to seek a peaceful solution to cross-strait issues. Britain also expressed its recognition of Taiwan's democratization process," the press release stated.
Ministry spokeswoman Katharine Chang (張小月) said the debate, which lasted four hours 16 minutes, was "the longest ever.""This showed the issue has triggered extensive attention and discussion, with countries pondering over why Taiwan's 23 million people did not have any representation in the UN," Chang said.
But when asked about the increase in countries that opposed Taiwan's bid, Chang said: "I decline to interpret it."
The proposed General Assembly agenda item was titled: "Need to examine the exceptional international situation pertaining to the Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan to ensure that the fundamental rights of its twenty-three million people to participate in the work and activities of the United Nations are fully respected."
The proposal was originally sponsored by 10 of Taiwan's 28 diplomatic allies, including Belize, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Gambia, Nicaragua, Palau, Senegal, Tuvalu.
China yesterday hailed the UN decision not to consider the issue. "The Taiwan authorities' attempt to create `two Chinas' or `one China, one Taiwan' in the UN is doomed to failure," the state-run Xinhua News Agency quoted Zhu Bangzao (
Wang Yingfan (
But Chang denied China's claim, saying: "China claims it can represent the 23 million people of Taiwan in the UN, but the fact is that its judicial rule has never extended to Taiwan."
Chan said Taiwan vowed to continue its UN bid, adding: "to be admitted to the UN is not a goal we can reach in one step. It requires long-term effort."
Currently, 186 UN members recognize China while 28 recognize Taiwan.
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