Taiwan will appeal to the international community to stop China from misrepresenting UN Resolution 2758 when the UN General Assembly meets later this month, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday.
The ministry made the remarks at a news conference in Taipei on its objectives to promote Taiwan’s inclusion in the world body.
The 79th UN General Assembly is to open on Tuesday next week at its headquarters in New York. The assembly is to hold its general debate from Sept. 24 to 28, focusing on the theme: “Leaving no one behind: Acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) said.
Photo: CNA
Ironically, Taiwan’s 23.5 million people have continuously been left behind by the UN, Tien said.
“The reason for this injustice is because China has maliciously twisted the content of UN Resolution 2758, with the intention of misleading the international community to equate the resolution with its so-called ‘one China’ principle,” he said.
“China falsely claims that Taiwan is part of the People’s Republic of China [PRC] and has authorized the PRC to represent it,” he added. “Such a claim negates the fact that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign nation and has legitimate rights to be part of the UN.”
Asked why Taiwan is focused on explaining Resolution 2758 this year, Tien said that Nauru cited the resolution when it broke diplomatic ties with Taiwan earlier this year.
The island country said its decision was made “on the grounds of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 and the ‘one China’ principle.”
Tien said that if Taiwan does not clarify UN member states’ understanding of the resolution soon, “the cross-strait ‘status quo’ that neither Taiwan nor the PRC is subordinate to the other would be overturned by the PRC.”
Beijing will likely continue to distort the resolution before ultimately using it as a legal pretense to use force against Taiwan by labeling the cross-strait issue as a domestic dispute, he added.
The ministry plans to highlight three points in its appeal to the UN.
First, the UN should recognize and take action against the malicious distortion of Resolution 2758, which threatens to change the “status quo” across the Taiwan Strait, and disrupt peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, it said.
Second, Resolution 2758 does not deny Taiwan the right to meaningfully participate in UN events. The UN should seek to accept Taiwan’s participation using appropriate ways so that Taiwan can contribute to the UN reaching its sustainable development goals, it said.
Third, the UN Secretariat should remain neutral. It must stop falsely citing Resolution 2758 or using it to prevent Taiwanese nationals and news media from visiting UN buildings or attending or covering UN conferences and events. The government’s steady and moderate approach over the past eight years to promote Taiwan’s re-entry to the UN has been widely recognized by the international community and has enabled more countries with similar ideas to join the ranks of supporting Taiwan in its pursuit of international participation, the ministry said.
Aside from inviting permanent representatives to the UN from ally countries to jointly send a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the ministry said it would continue to ask them to speak out for Taiwan at the general debate and other General Assembly events this year.
The US government in April publicly issued a four-point statement refuting the misuse of Resolution 2758, the ministry said.
Delegates to the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China Policy summit in July launched the 2758 Initiative, pledging to pass resolutions in their own parliaments to reject Beijing’s distortion of Resolution 2758 and international law regarding Taiwan’s status.
The Australian Senate last month took the lead by unanimously passing an “urgency motion” against China’s misrepresentation and misinterpretation of Resolution 2758 to undermine Taiwan’s status.
Additional reporting by CNA
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS