The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) caucuses have each proposed motions on UN Resolution 2758 in the new legislative session that began yesterday.
The DPP caucus proposed a motion stating that “UN Resolution 2758 does not involve Taiwan” and that Beijing mischaracterized it to block Taiwan’s international participation.
The resolution mentions only China’s representation in the UN; it does not say it considers Taiwan to be part of China, nor does it authorize the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to represent Taiwan in the UN, the DPP said, adding that it is an undeniable fact that the resolution does not endorse the “one China” principle.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
The Republic of China (ROC) is an independent country with sovereignty and is not subordinate to the PRC and vice versa, it said, adding that only the government elected by Taiwanese can represent Taiwan in the UN and other international entities.
Taiwan “firmly opposes China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758, deterring Taiwan from taking part in international organizations such as the UN, and depriving the right of 23 million Taiwanese to join the international community,” the DPP caucus said. “China should immediately refrain from linking UN Resolution 2758 to its so-called ‘one China’ principle, as it would jeopardize cross-strait peace and stability, Indo-Pacific regional security and prosperity, and the rule-based international order.”
“The UN should apply the principle of universality as specified in the UN Charter and fulfill its promise to ‘leave no one behind’ by embracing Taiwan’s full participation as soon as possible,” it added.
The KMT caucus proposed a motion that said the ROC is a sovereign, independent country and a founding member state of the UN.
The resolution unjustly excludes the ROC from the UN and international participation, resulting in a long-standing lack of rights protection for Taiwanese internationally and the marginalization of the nation, it said.
“While the ROC and its people have the right to join the UN and other international organizations, the deterrence of their participation in these international entities is not only unfair and unjust to the nation and its people, but also a loss to the world,” the KMT said.
“Beijing should face the objective reality that the ROC exists and that the ROC Constitution stipulates the nation’s inseparable de jure sovereignty,” it said. “Both sides should promote cross-strait exchanges in accordance with the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (兩岸人民關係條例) to maintain cross-strait stability and world peace.”
“The UN General Assembly should apply the principle of universality as specified in the UN Charter by embracing the ROC’s return and full participation as soon as possible,” the KMT caucus said.
The TPP caucus’ proposed motion said that historical and political entanglements between the ROC and the other side of the Taiwan Strait are persistent.
Taiwan’s international status has attracted global attention in recent years, it said, adding that based on the UN Charter, it should have been allowed broader international participation and its people should have enjoyed the right to participate internationally as people of other nations do, it said.
The government should “fight for meaningful participation in international organizations to broaden Taiwan’s international participation,” the TPP said.
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
Renovations on the B3 concourse of Taipei Main Station are to begin on Nov. 1, with travelers advised to use entrances near the Taiwan Railway or high-speed rail platforms or information counter to access the MRT’s Red Line. Construction is to be completed before the end of next year, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said last week. To reduce the impact on travelers, the NT$95 million (US$2.95 million) project is to be completed in four stages, it said. In the first stage, the hall leading to the Blue Line near the art exhibition area is to be closed from Nov. 1 to the end
Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) shopping area welcomed the most international visitors, followed by Taipei 101, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園), a list of the city’s most popular tourist attractions published by the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism showed. As of August, 69.22 million people had visited Taipei’s main tourism spots, a 76 percent increase from 39.33 million in the same period last year, department data showed. Ximending had 20.21 million visitors, followed by Taipei 101 at 8.09 million, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park at 6.28 million, Yangmingshan at 4.51 million and the Red House Theater (西門紅樓) in
WARNING: Domestic coffee producers mainly grow arabica beans, as they self-pollinate, but they are more likely to have consistency issues, an expert said Taiwan ranks third in coffee consumption per capita in Asia, the latest Ministry of Agriculture data showed. Taiwanese consume 1.77kg, or 177 cups of coffee, per person each year, less only than Japan and South Korea, at 600 cups and 400 cups respectively, the ministry’s Tea and Beverage Research Station said. Although the nation mainly relies on imported coffee, there has been an increase in home-grown coffee bean production, the ministry said. Cuttings and other techniques are commonly used to ensure domestic beans have stronger floral and fruity flavors, it said. It is a fast-expanding market with Taiwan’s coffee consumption