Nine of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies yesterday called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to include the nation in the deliberations about technology and sustainable development at the UN Summit for the Future.
The 79th session of the UN General Assembly opened on Tuesday last week, with the high-level General Debate to run from Tuesday to Saturday next week.
The joint letter, dated Thursday, said the UN should acknowledge and address the malicious distortions to UN Resolution 2758 that have endangered the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Photo: EPA-EFE
UN Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative” of China, but does not state that it has sovereignty over Taiwan, as Beijing has insisted.
UN Resolution 2758 did not exclude Taiwan from meaningful participation in the UN system, the letter said, adding that the UN should seek appropriate measures to allow the nation’s contribution to the UN’s sustainable development goals.
The UN is called upon to adhere to strict neutrality in disputes by stopping the resolution’s erroneous citation, which had been used to deprive the right of the Taiwanese public and media to attend, observe or report on UN proceedings, the letter said.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Permanent Representative to the UN Inga Rhonda King was cited as saying it is unthinkable to exclude Taiwan from deliberations surrounding the Pact for the Future and Global Digital Contract.
Taiwan, which produces 90 percent of the world’s high-end chips and is a leader in artificial intelligence, is not permitted to take part in discussions about building digital guardrails and supply chains, King said.
Guatemalan Permanent Representative to the UN Carla Maria Rodriguez Mancia said that her government hopes more nations would join in supporting Taiwan’s inclusion in the mechanisms of the international body.
The matter is too important for the international community to continue to neglect, Mancia said.
It would be topically appropriate to allow Taiwan, a democracy possessing freedoms and technology, to be part of this year’s discussions about the future, which would impact generations to come, she said.
Taiwan’s meaningful participation in UN mechanisms and agencies would be a pragmatic move to enable its contribution to world affairs including digital governance, natural disaster relief and climate change, Mancia said.
Belizean Permanent Representative to the UN Carlos Fuller said that Taiwan is one of the island nations most threatened by rising sea levels, making its exclusion from UN conferences on climate warming an important issue.
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York Director Tom Lee (李志強) said that Taiwan thanks its friends for their unwavering support for the nation’s bid to join the UN.
Diplomatic efforts this year would focus on correcting misconceptions about Resolution 2758, which has impeded Taiwan from contributing to the global push for sustainable development, he said.
NETWORK-MAPPING PROJECT: The database contains 170 detailed files of Taiwanese politicians and about 23 million records of household registration data in Taiwan China has developed a network-mapping project targeting political figures and parties in Taiwan to monitor public opinion during elections and to craft tailored influence campaigns aimed at dividing Taiwanese society, according to documents leaked by Chinese technology firm GoLaxy (中科天璣). The documents, collected by Taipei-based Doublethink Lab, showed a database was specifically created to gather detailed information on Taiwanese political figures, including their political affiliations, job histories, birthplaces, residences, education, religion and a brief biography about them. Several notable Taiwanese politicians are in the database, including President William Lai (賴清德), former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍),
RECOGNITION: Former Fijian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry said that Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy serves as a stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific region Taiwan can lead the unification of the Chinese people, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Polish president Lech Walesa said in Taipei yesterday, adding that as the world order is changing, peaceful discussion would find good solutions, and that the use of force and coercion would always fail. Walesa made the remarks during his keynote address at a luncheon of the Yushan Forum in Taipei, titled “Indo-Pacific Partnership Prospects: Taiwan’s Values, Technology and Resilience,” organized by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Walesa said that he had been at the forefront of a big peaceful revolution and “if
KEY INDUSTRY: The vice premier discussed a plan to create a non-red drone supply chain by next year, which has been allocated a budget of more than NT$7.2 billion The government has budgeted NT$44.2 billion (US$1.38 billion) to cultivate Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) industry over the next five years, which would make the nation a major player in the industry’s democratic supply chain in the Asia-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. Cho made the remarks during a visit to the facilities of Cub Elecparts Inc (為升電裝). Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Su-yueh (陳素月) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsieh Yi-fong (謝依鳳) also participated in the trip. Cub Elecparts has transitioned from the automotive industry to the defense industry, which is the top priority among the nation’s
UPGRADED MISSILE: The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology is reportedly to conduct a live-fire test of the Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile on Thursday next week The US Army is planning to build new facilities to boost explosives production and strengthen its supply chain, a move aimed at addressing munitions shortages and supporting obligations to partners including Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel, Defense News reported. The army has issued a sources sought notice for a proposed Center of Excellence at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, the report said. The facility would serve as a hub within the US industrial base for the production of key military explosives, including research department explosives (RDX) and high melting explosives (HMX), while also supporting research and development of next-generation materials. The proposed
RSS