Taiwan will seek “meaningful participation” in the 16 auxiliary agencies of the UN and forgo the quest for full membership this year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
“Our approach this year is based on the principles of pragmatism and flexibility to meet the expectations of the public,” said Andrew Hsia (夏立言), deputy foreign minister, adding that the tactic did not mean the government had given up on seeking full membership in the future.
The text of the ministry’s proposal called for the General Assembly to consider “the fundamental rights of the 23 million people of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to participate meaningfully in the activities of the United Nations specialized agencies.”
The proposal, cosponsored by 17 of Taiwan’s allies — but not the Vatican, Haiti, Guatemala, Paraguay, Panama and the Dominican Republic — must first pass the General Affairs Committee on Sept. 16 before going to the General Assembly.
Only three of Taiwan’s allies are on the 28-member committee.
“It is an extremely difficult task,” Hsia said, adding that Beijing was the stumbling block in Taiwan’s bid to join international organizations.
“The ministry urges China to understand the expectations and will of the 23 million people of Taiwan and calls on Beijing to respond with goodwill and flexibility,” he said.
“China claims it wants to win the hearts and minds of the Taiwanese people. What could be a better way than to stop obstructing our UN bid?” he said.
Hsia said that the focus at this point was not what name the nation should use to join the organization “because the name will not become an issue until the international community has reached a consensus welcoming Taiwan into the fold.”
Hsia said major players such as the US and the EU had reacted “more positively” this year than in previous years.
American Institute in Taiwan spokesman Thomas Hodges declined to comment on the US’ reaction to the strategy except to repeat Washington’s policy that the US does not support membership for Taiwan at international organizations that require statehood, but supports meaningful participation in organizations where full membership is not possible and organizations where statehood is not required.
This year will be Taiwan’s 16th appeal to the UN since 1993 after it forfeited its seat in 1971. Last year Taiwan’s bid sparked strong opposition from the US, EU countries and other countries. The bid used the name “Taiwan.”
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said at a press conference in Paraguay that this year’s strategy would help the public participate in the UN without harming the nation’s diplomatic interests and cross-strait relations.
Ma said the government was handling the bid in a cautious manner in view of the failure of the two referendums on the country’s membership in the UN earlier this year.
He was referring to the fact that neither the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-initiated referendum on “rejoining” the UN under the name “Republic of China” or any other practical title that would uphold the country’s dignity, nor the Democratic Progressive Party-backed referendum on joining the UN using the name “Taiwan” passed the voter threshold.
Ma said the government had three considerations in mind in determining the bid — public opinion, the reality of the international community and the consequences of the two failed UN referendums.
“Considering all the three factors, the UN proposal should be realistic and flexible,” Ma said.
Ma said the failure of the UN referendums had left the country with less room to strive for UN membership from a legal perspective.
The fact that the participation rate for both referendums was under 36 percent meant that the people of Taiwan felt regret that they could not participate in the UN but that the public at the same time did not consider adopting the referendums urgent, Ma said.
Ma said the government must take the referendum results seriously as they have symbolic meaning.
The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee yesterday approved proposed amendments to the Amusement Tax Act (娛樂稅法) that would abolish taxes on films, cultural activities and competitive sporting events, retaining the fee only for dance halls and golf courses. The proposed changes would set the maximum tax rate for dance halls and golf courses at 50 and 20 percent respectively, with local governments authorized to suspend the levies. Article 2 of the act says that “amusement tax shall be levied on tickets sold or fees charged by amusement places, facilities or activities” in six categories: “Cinema; professional singing, story-telling, dancing, circus, magic show, acrobatics
Tainan, Taipei and New Taipei City recorded the highest fines nationwide for illegal accommodations in the first quarter of this year, with fines issued in the three cities each exceeding NT$7 million (US$220,639), Tourism Administration data showed. Among them, Taipei had the highest number of illegal short-term rental units, with 410. There were 3,280 legally registered hotels nationwide in the first quarter, down by 14 properties, or 0.43 percent, from a year earlier, likely indicating operators exiting the market, the agency said. However, the number of unregistered properties rose to 1,174, including 314 illegal hotels and 860 illegal short-term rental
INFLATION UP? The IMF said CPI would increase to 1.5 percent this year, while the DGBAS projected it would rise to 1.68 percent, with GDP per capita of US$44,181 The IMF projected Taiwan’s real GDP would grow 5.2 percent this year, up from its 2.1 percent outlook in January, despite fears of global economic disruptions sparked by the US-Iran conflict. Taiwan’s consumer price index (CPI) is projected to increase to 1.5 percent, while unemployment would be 3.4 percent, roughly in line with estimates for Asia as a whole, the international body wrote in its Global Economic Outlook Report published in the US on Monday. The figures are comparatively better than the IMF outlook for the rest of the world, which pegged real GDP growth at 3.1 percent, down from 3.3 percent
ECONOMIC COERCION: Such actions are often inconsistently applied, sometimes resumed, and sometimes just halted, the Presidential Office spokeswoman said The government backs healthy and orderly cross-strait exchanges, but such arrangements should not be made with political conditions attached and never be used as leverage for political maneuvering or partisan agendas, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said yesterday. Kuo made the remarks after China earlier in the day announced 10 new “incentive measures” for Taiwan, following a landmark meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) in Beijing on Friday. The measures, unveiled by China’s Xinhua news agency, include plans to resume individual travel by residents of Shanghai and China’s Fujian
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