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.
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday that China using armed force against Taiwan could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, allowing the country to mobilize the Japanese armed forces under its security laws. Takaichi made the remarks during a parliamentary session yesterday while responding to a question about whether a "Taiwan contingency" involving a Chinese naval blockade would qualify as a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, according to a report by Japan’s Asahi Shimbun. "If warships are used and other armed actions are involved, I believe this could constitute a survival- threatening
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
RSS