Taiwan yesterday thanked the British parliament for passing a motion stating that UN Resolution 2758 does not involve Taiwan, making it the latest body to reject China’s interpretation of the resolution.
The House of Commons on Thursday debated the international status of Taiwan and unanimously passed a pro-Taiwan motion stating that the House “notes that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the political status of Taiwan or establish PRC [People’s Republic of China] sovereignty over Taiwan and is silent both on the status of Taiwan in the UN and on Taiwanese participation in UN agencies.”
British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Parliamentary Undersecretary of State Catherine West, who is in charge of Indo-Pacific affairs, said on behalf of the British government that “the resolution decided that only the People’s Republic of China should represent China at the UN.”
Photo: CNA
“However ... it [UN Resolution 2758] made no separate or additional determination on the status of Taiwan and should not therefore be used to preclude Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the UN or the wider international system,” she said. “That is why the UK opposes any attempt to broaden the interpretation of Resolution 2758 to rewrite history. I do not believe that that would be in the interests of the people of Taiwan, and neither would it be in UK or global interests.”
In Taipei, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) yesterday said that the passage of the motion added to global support for Taiwan’s democratic values and bids for international participation.
Taiwan is willing to stand alongside democratic allies to jointly defend the shared values of freedom, democracy and human rights, she said in a statement.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement said that the passage of the motion in the British parliament attests to the House’s solid support for Taiwan, and highlighted the improper exclusion of Taiwan from major international discussion and cooperative mechanisms, marking a milestone for Taiwan’s continued efforts to counter China’s misinterpretation of the resolution.
The motion was proposed by Labour lawmaker for East Renfrewshire and Foreign Affairs Committee member Blair McDougall and signed by 16 other lawmakers from the Labour Party, the Conservative Party, the Unionist Party, the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party, including British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group cochair Sarah Champion, and Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) British cochair and former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith, the ministry said.
That demonstrated strong bipartisan endorsement from the British parliament for Taiwan’s sovereign status and international participation, it added.
Following the passage of the IPAC model resolution on UN Resolution 2758 at an annual summit in Taipei in July, as well as the precedents of Australia, the Netherlands, Guatemala and Canada, the British House of Commons is the fifth foreign legislative branch to pass a motion on the resolution in favor of Taiwan, the ministry said.
In other developments, the Dutch House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a motion filed by Eric van der Burg, People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy spokesman for foreign affairs, calling on the Dutch government to follow Germany in signing an agreement with Taiwan on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.
It was the fifth pro-Taiwan motion passed by the Dutch House this year, in addition to a motion clarifying that UN Resolution 2758 does not mention Taiwan, and another calling for the Dutch government’s support for investment agreement negotiations between Taiwan and major EU nations.
The ministry yesterday thanked the Dutch House for passing the Taiwan-friendly motion, saying that the agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters between Taiwan and Germany has facilitated bilateral cooperation in combating transnational crimes such as money laundering and cybercrime.
For example, the internationally wanted criminal Salvador Alejandro Llinas Onate was deported to Germany last month in accordance with the agreement, it said, adding that further investigation would be handled by Germany and other EU nations.
However, the Netherlands and Taiwan could not provide incriminating evidence for each other due to the lack of such arrangements, the ministry said, urging the Dutch government to sign an agreement with Taiwan on mutual legal assistance.
Additional reporting by CNA
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