UN Resolution 2758 did not address Taiwan’s representation in the UN, the Taiwan International Solidarity Act passed by the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee says.
The bill was introduced in the US House of Representatives in February to amend the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act of 2019.
Photo: AP
The amendment was passed by the committee with a voice vote without objection and would be sent to the House of Representatives for consideration.
Photo: AFP
The bipartisan TAIPEI Act was introduced in the US Congress in 2019 and signed into law in 2020 to “express United States support for Taiwan’s diplomatic alliances around the world.”
It requires the US to advocate for Taiwan’s membership in international organizations and support the nation to bolster diplomatic ties with countries around the world.
The amendment includes new paragraphs calling on the US, as a member of any international organizations, to “oppose any attempts by the People’s Republic of China to resolve Taiwan’s status by distorting the decisions, language, policies, or procedures of the organization, and for other purposes.”
UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 established the representatives of the government of China as the only lawful representatives of China to the UN, the amended bill says.
“The resolution did not address the issue of representation of Taiwan and its people in the United Nations or any related organizations, nor did the resolution take a position on the relationship between the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan or include any statement pertaining to Taiwan’s sovereignty,” it adds.
Beijing interpreted the resolution adopted in 1971 to exclude Taiwan from international organizations and their affiliates.
In the resolution, the UN General Assembly decided to “expel forthwith the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) from the place which they unlawfully occupy at the United Nations and in all the organizations related to it.”
The amendment also reiterates that the US “opposes any initiative that seeks to change Taiwan’s status without the consent of the people.”
In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked the US Congress for its bipartisan support of Taiwan’s participation in international organizations.
Passing the bill ahead of the 76th World Health Assembly, which is to begin this weekend, is especially meaningful, the ministry said.
Taiwan has not received an invitation to attend the meeting of the top decisionmaking body of the WHO for the sixth consecutive year due to pressure by China.
US representatives Michael McCaul, who chairs the committee, and Gregory Meeks, its former chairman, backed the bill, saying that excluding Taiwan from the UN system would be a disservice to the world, the ministry said.
Additional reporting by CNA
FIVE-YEAR WINDOW? A defense institute CEO said a timeline for a potential Chinese invasion was based on expected ‘tough measures’ when Xi Jinping seeks a new term Most Taiwanese are willing to defend the nation against a Chinese attack, but the majority believe Beijing is unlikely to invade within the next five years, a poll showed yesterday. The poll carried out last month was commissioned by the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, a Taipei-based think tank, and released ahead of Double Ten National Day today, when President William Lai (賴清德) is to deliver a speech. China maintains a near-daily military presence around Taiwan and has held three rounds of war games in the past two years. CIA Director William Burns last year said that Chinese President Xi Jinping
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday said that China has “no right to represent Taiwan,” but stressed that the nation was willing to work with Beijing on issues of mutual interest. “The Republic of China has already put down roots in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu,” Lai said in his first Double Ten National Day address outside the Presidential Office Building in Taipei. “And the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China [PRC] are not subordinate to each other.” “The People’s Republic of China has no right to represent Taiwan,” he said at the event marking the 113th National Day of
SPEECH IMPEDIMENT? The state department said that using routine celebrations or public remarks as a pretext for provocation would undermine peace and stability Beijing’s expected use of President William Lai’s (賴清德) Double Ten National Day speech today as a pretext for provocative measures would undermine peace and stability, the US Department of State said on Tuesday. Taiwanese officials have said that China is likely to launch military drills near Taiwan in response to Lai’s speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims. A state department spokesperson said it could not speculate on what China would or would not do. “However, it is worth emphasizing that using routine annual celebrations or public remarks as a pretext or excuse for provocative or coercive
CONCERNS: Allowing the government, political parties or the military to own up to 10 percent of a large media firm is a risk Taiwan cannot afford to take, a lawyer said A Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator has proposed amendments to allow the government, political parties and the military to indirectly invest in broadcast media, prompting concerns of potential political interference. Under Article 1 of the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法), the government and political parties — as well as foundations established with their endowments, and those commissioned by them — cannot directly or indirectly invest in satellite broadcasting businesses. A similar regulation is in the Cable Radio and Television Act (有線廣播電視法). “The purpose of banning the government, political parties and the military from investing in the media is to prevent them from interfering
RSS