The leaders of the EU and of Taiwan’s four diplomatic allies on Friday expressed concern over the stability of the Taiwan Strait and voiced support for Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN during a meeting of the UN General Assembly.
The 77th UN General Assembly which began on Tuesday and ends tomorrow, is its first in-person session since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.
European Council President Charles Michel said the EU calls for maritime security and the preservation of stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Photo: AFP
Michel said the bloc recognizes Beijing’s “one China” principle, but “will not close our eyes to the violations of human rights” in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.
“We want emerging powers, including China, to participate sincerely in the collective efforts for peace and development,” he said.
Michel’s remarks came just two days after US President Joe Biden said that Washington seeks to “uphold peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
Photo: CNA
Taiwan’s Caribbean ally Saint Lucia also expressed concern over tensions in the Taiwan Strait at the General Assembly.
St Lucian Prime Minister Philip Pierre said the recent escalation of military tensions in the Taiwan Strait had “threatened regional and international peace and security.”
“Saint Lucia calls upon those responsible to observe the UN rules on peaceful settlement of disputes and respect for the territorial integrity and political independence of all countries,” he said.
Pierre also championed “the meaningful participation of Taiwan in the organs and agencies of the United Nations,” adding that Taiwanese “ought to be allowed to continue their chosen path to economic, social and cultural development and to confirm their right to self-determination.”
St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew stated his country’s “unswerving support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the UN system.”
“Taiwan has been a long-standing friend and a partner for sustainable development,” he said.
He added that the UN would be “stronger” in the company of “those who share our democratic principles and values.”
Tuvaluan Prime Minister Kausea Natano said it is “regrettable” that Taiwan continues to be kept out of the UN system despite “its notable partnerships on a wide range of development issues.”
“Tuvalu strongly supports the readmission of the Republic of China, Taiwan, into the UN as a founding member of the United Nations, and its active participation in UN specialized agencies, including the World Health Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change,” Natano said.
Belizean Prime Minister John Briceno said the Central American nation “calls for Taiwan to take its rightful place among the international community of nations.”
Taiwan is excluded from the international community, although efforts toward global prosperity require the participation of all countries and peoples, Briceno said.
“The outdated policy imposed on Taiwan to promote its exclusion must yield to the greater good,” he added.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare called on “all countries to be sensitive and not inflame tensions that can threaten the unity and security of any country.”
The Solomon Islands and Taiwan severed diplomatic ties in 2019, when the Pacific island state established diplomatic relations with China.
Sogavare defended his government’s decision to switch allegiance, saying it was made “through democratic processes by a democratically elected government.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei yesterday thanked the US, the EU and other like-minded nations for their discussion of Taiwan at the General Assembly.
China frequently claims that cooperation with Taiwan contravenes its so-called “one China” principle, and uses countries’ signs of support for Taiwan as justification for military aggression, it said.
However, the attention brought to the issue by the international community during the assembly has made it difficult for China to hide its undermining of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, it said.
“We call on all countries to continue to condemn Chinese aggression, and meanwhile we will continue to strengthen our self-defense capabilities, our security partnership with the US and to cooperate with all like-minded countries,” it said.
WHEELING AND DEALING? Hou You-yi, Ko Wen-je, Eric Chu and Ma Ying-jeou are under investigation for allegedly offering bribes for the other side to drop out of the race Taipei prosecutors have started an investigation into allegations that four top politicians involved in attempts to form a “blue-white” presidential ticket have contravened election regulations. Listed as defendants are Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of the KMT and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲). The case stemmed from judicial complaints filed last month with the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office alleging that the KMT (blue) and the TPP (white) had engaged in bribery by offering money or other enticements
EXPOSED: Some Taipei wardens reported joining the trips out of peer pressure, while others said they were relieved it was made public so they could refuse, a city councilor said Nearly 30 percent of Taipei borough wardens have joined group tours to China that were partially funded by the Chinese government, leading prosecutors probing potential Chinese interference in January’s elections to question local officials, an investigation showed. Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City councilors Chien Shu-pei (簡舒培) and Chen E-jun (陳怡君) have reported cases of Taipei borough wardens inviting residents to join inexpensive privately organized group tours to China that were partially funded by the Chinese government. The six-day trips reportedly cost NT$10,000 to NT$15,000, the councilors said. An investigation by the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) showed that nearly 30 percent
ELIGIBLE FOR JANUARY: All presidential candidates and their running mates meet the requirements to run for office, and none hold dual citizenship, the CEC said Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator and vice presidential candidate Cynthia Wu (吳欣盈) is working with the Central Election Commission (CEC) to resolve issues with her financial disclosure statement, a spokesman for the candidate said yesterday, after the commission published the statements of all three presidential candidates and their running mates, while confirming their eligibility to run in the Jan. 13 election. Wu’s office spokesman, Chen Yu-cheng (陳宥丞), said the candidate encountered unforeseen difficulties disclosing her husband’s finances due to being suddenly thrust into the campaign. She is also the first vice presidential nominee to have a foreign spouse, complicating the reporting of
GOOD NEWS: Although open civic spaces are shrinking in Asia-Pacific countries and territories, Taiwan’s openness is a positive sign, an expert said Taiwan remains the only country in Asia with an “open” civic space for the fifth consecutive year, the Civicus Monitor said in a report released yesterday. The People Power Under Attack 2023 report named Taiwan as one of only 37 open countries or territories out of 198 globally, and the only one in Asia. Compiled by Civicus — a global alliance of civil society organizations dedicated to bolstering civil action — the ranking compiled annually since 2017 measures the state of freedom of association, peaceful assembly and expression around the world. Researchers assign each country or territory one of five rankings describing the
RSS