Only Taiwan’s elected government can represent the people of Taiwan, Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine said on Friday at the UN General Assembly, calling for the nation’s inclusion in the UN.
Taiwan and its 23 million people are a reality, and only its democratically elected government can represent it, Heine said when addressing the 81st session of the UN General Assembly General Debate.
Appropriate ways must be found for Taiwan’s substantive participation in UN meetings if the UN is to be truly inclusive and effective in years to come, she said.
Photo: Reuters
UN member states would experience pressure to accept a false narrative that UN Resolution 2758 serves as a legal pretext under the UN Charter for coercion or war, impairing freedom of navigation in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, she said.
Resolution 2758, passed in 1971, states that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the only legitimate representative of China at the UN, which enabled Beijing to replace the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan’s official name, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
“Every nation in this hall may be told that aggression or coercion upon Taiwan is an internal matter somehow justified by an ancient UN seating chart resolution, a resolution which doesn’t even reference Taiwan,” she said.
Photo: AP
Appeasement never satisfies an aggressor’s wider agenda, and one taste is never enough, she said.
UN member states might be told that “might makes right,” and that it is futile for small nations to resist a larger one, she said.
“We will be asked, politely and impolitely, to turn a blind eye and look away,” she said, adding that how the UN addresses this very real security dilemma would be a test of its strength and relevance.
Tuvaluan Prime Minister Feleti Teo also called for arrangements that enable the meaningful participation of the 23.5 million Taiwanese in the UN and related agencies.
Taiwan has consistently demonstrated that it is an able, trustworthy and constructive partner in addressing global challenges, and its exclusion undermines the spirit and effectiveness of multilateral cooperation, he said.
Tuvalu is gravely concerned by the escalating military activities around Taiwan, which threaten stability across the Strait, disrupt international transportation and trade, and jeopardize peace and security in the Pacific and beyond, he said.
Tuvalu commends Taiwan for its calm and principled adherence to the values of the UN Charter, he said, urging all UN member states to uphold the same principles.
The 81st session of the UN General Assembly opened on Sept. 8, with the general debate running from Tuesday last week to tomorrow.
Three of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — Paraguay, Eswatini and Palau — on Wednesday made a push for Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN.
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