The UN Correspondents Association (UNCA) is challenging China's representative at the UN to debate the Taiwan issue.
In a letter to Wang Yingfan (王英凡), permanent representative of the People's Republic of China to the UN, the UNCA said it is organizing a panel discussion on the future of Taiwan and its legal status.
"I wonder if you would be prepared to participate in such a debate? Or, if you prefer, we would be happy to organize a separate briefing for you alone to address correspondents on this issue," said the letter signed by Tony Jenkins, president of the UNCA.
The UNCA was upset by China's political maneuvering last Friday that led to the disruption of the press briefing by Andrew Hsia (夏立言), director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, who was due to speak to the UNCA in its club about the SARS crisis and Taiwan's efforts to work with the World Health Organization.
"This has disturbed relations between the press and the Secretariat, and it has done serious harm to the image of the PRC within the UN press corps," Jenkins wrote.
He reminded Wang that Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which China is a signatory, states: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."
"In China, I understand, the media is still subject to strict government censorship, but the headquarters of the UN is governed by a higher code: that enshrined in Article 19 quoted above," he said.
Jenkins cited the UNCA's "tradition of using our club for free expression of views" to emphasize "we have no intention of allowing that right to be abridged by the People's Republic of China or any other member state."
He then went on to challenge Wang to participate in the forum his association is planning to host to discuss the Taiwan issue.
It is not immediately known whether Wang has accepted the invitation.
Hsia, on the other hand, said he was prepared to face anyone on this subject. He said Taiwan has been asking the UN to study the issue of the fact that the 23 million people in Taiwan are not represented in the UN.
Jenkins said, for the UNCA members, the Taiwan issue is one of "legitimate news interest." That's why the UNCA has invited Hsia to brief members and now wants people of "all shades of opinion" to join in the proposed panel discussion.
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