Two members of the US House of Representatives on Thursday urged the US government to support UN membership for Taiwan.
In a letter addressed to US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Republican Representatives Scott Perry and Tom Tiffany called on the ambassador to “use the voice, vote, and influence of the United States to secure Taiwan’s ascension.”
Tiffany posted the letter on Twitter ahead of the UN General Assembly, which is to take place from Tuesday next week to Sept. 21 in New York, with the option of virtual participation over COVID-19 concerns.
Photo: AFP
The US administration should “ensure that Taiwan is fully invested with the rights, privileges, and responsibilities as a UN member state,” the letter said.
The lawmakers also asked the ambassador to detail in a response how Washington plans to assist Taiwan’s inclusion as a UN member state.
Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN would be “a victory for democracy and the rules-based international order,” the lawmakers said.
“It is beyond the pale that we allow our fear of the People’s Republic of China [PRC] to dictate our foreign policy and allow the UN body — dominated by the influence of the Chinese Communist Party — to repeatedly reject Taiwan’s requests to formally join the UN,” the letter said.
“No cogent or logical argument can be made for Taiwan’s 50-year exclusion from the UN,” it said, adding that Taiwan ranks near the top 20 economies in the world, and is the 10th-largest trading partner of the US.
Taiwan, as the Republic of China, left the UN in 1971, when the PRC took its place, and has since been excluded from its special agencies.
Taiwan has over the years campaigned for its participation in the activities, mechanisms and meetings of the UN.
As part of this year’s efforts, the government would again ask diplomatic allies to voice support for the nation’s inclusion in the UN, either by speaking up during the General Assembly or by sending letters to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Monday announced light shows and themed traffic lights to welcome fans of South Korean pop group Twice to the port city. The group is to play Kaohsiung on Saturday as part of its “This Is For” world tour. It would be the group’s first performance in Taiwan since its debut 10 years ago. The all-female group consists of five South Koreans, three Japanese and Tainan’s Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), the first Taiwan-born and raised member of a South Korean girl group. To promote the group’s arrival, the city has been holding a series of events, including a pop-up
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday voiced dissatisfaction with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans- Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), whose latest meeting, concluded earlier the same day, appeared not to address the country’s application. In a statement, MOFA said the CPTPP commission had "once again failed to fairly process Taiwan’s application," attributing the inaction to the bloc’s "succumbing to political pressure," without elaborating. Taiwan submitted its CPTPP application under the name "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" on Sept. 22, 2021 -- less than a week after China
TEMPORAL/SPIRITUAL: Beijing’s claim that the next Buddhist leader must come from China is a heavy-handed political maneuver that will fall flat-faced, experts said China’s requirement that the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation to be born in China and approved by Beijing has drawn criticism, with experts at a forum in Taipei yesterday saying that if Beijing were to put forth its own Dalai Lama, the person would not be recognized by the Tibetan Buddhist community. The experts made a remarks at the two-day forum hosted by the Tibet Religious Foundation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama titled: “The Snow Land Forum: Finding Common Ground on Tibet.” China says it has the right to determine the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation, as it claims sovereignty over Tibet since ancient times,
RSS