Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) has called for Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN framework to help ensure peace in the region, as the world body is slated to begin its 78th session of the general assembly on Tuesday next week.
“Together we are stronger. It is time to act on this fundamental principle, including Taiwan,” Wu wrote in an op-ed published on Saturday on the Italian news site Le Formiche.
The UN Charter, which states that international disputes should be settled peacefully, has helped maintain the rules-based international order since the end of the Cold War, he said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
As evident in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, war in a globalized world brings global consequences, he said.
“It is therefore imperative to prevent similar threats to global security from occurring elsewhere,” he added, referring to China’s threats against Taiwan.
The People’s Republic of China, which has never governed Taiwan, has refused to renounce the use of force against its neighbor to annex it, he said.
Photo: AFP
China “has become increasingly aggressive, flexing its military muscle to intimidate Taiwan” by sending warplanes and ships into areas near Taiwan, as well as through disinformation campaigns and economic coercion, Wu said.
In addition to Taiwan, China has been expanding its power in the East and South China seas, he said, citing examples of Beijing signing a security agreement with the Solomon Islands and securing ports for potential military use in the Indian Ocean.
“Ensuring peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is in everyone’s interest” as half of the world’s commercial container traffic passes through the Strait every day and Taiwan is a major producer of semiconductors, he said.
The international community has repeatedly emphasized the importance of cross-strait peace and stability, he said, adding that “the best way to do so requires inclusion, dialogue and, above all, unity.”
Taiwan is willing and able to be a part of the UN to tackle pressing issues through global discourse, but was excluded due to China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758, he said.
That resolution does not affirm that Taiwan is a part of the People’s Republic of China, nor does it give Beijing the right to represent the people of Taiwan within the UN, Wu said, adding that the resolution only addressed China’s representation in the UN.
“The subsequent misrepresentation of Resolution 2758 contradicts the fundamental principles upheld by the UN Charter and must be rectified,” he said.
Wu urged the UN to “act as a champion of progress” by including Taiwan, which would “demonstrate the determination of the UN to unite for global peace at a critical moment when the future of the world is at stake.”
He said that the UN could start by allowing Taiwanese individuals and journalists to attend UN meetings, and permit Taiwan’s meaningful participation in efforts related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which would benefit the world.
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