There is no good reason to yield to the CCP’s wishes by keeping Taiwan out of the United Nations.
There is no good reason to yield to the CCP’s wishes by keeping Taiwan out of the United Nations.
S ince I arrived in New York in 2020, the world of international relations has witnessed a turbulent period. The international community is facing a critical time for managing global peace and stability, whether it comes to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or China’s aggressive military posturing in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.
In my capacity as director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, I represent Taiwan in the tristate area. I am also the head of our U.N. Affairs Task Force, under which I am supposed to represent in the U.N. the rights and interests of our nation’s 23.5 million people. However, my job is complicated by the fact that Taiwan has been unjustly excluded from the U.N. and its specialized agencies, including the ongoing General Assembly in New York City.
Owing to China’s campaign to diplomatically isolate Taiwan, our country lacks representation in the U.N. We have been blocked from any kind of meaningful participation in the U.N. We are prohibited, for instance, from attending the World Health Assembly and from being represented in the International Civil Aviation Organization. The U.N.’s exclusion of Taiwan has reached a point where Taiwanese passports cannot be used to enter the U.N.’s premises, barring our citizens from visiting.
China’s efforts to block Taiwan from the U.N. are centered around a revisionist misinterpretation of U.N. General Assembly Resolution 2758. The text of the resolution merely refers to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and grants representation of “China” at the U.N., the seat that was previously held by the Republic of China. The resolution did not mention Taiwan or determine Taiwan’s sovereignty or participation in the U.N. The PRC’s lead diplomat, Zhou Enlai, acknowledged before the passage of Resolution 2758 that it would not decide the status of Taiwan. Other states that voted to pass the resolution also stated that it is merely an issue of credentials and that they view the status of Taiwan as a separate issue. The people responsible for passing Resolution 2758 were united in their understanding that the status of Taiwan and its participation at the U.N. were in no way settled in 1971.
In the past two decades, the PRC has engaged in a campaign to use its influence at the U.N. to revise the original interpretation of Resolution 2758. In 2007, then-secretary-general Ban Ki-moon cited the resolution and stated that the U.N. considered Taiwan an integral part of China. Although the U.S. and others protested the statement and got the U.N. to admit its mistake, the PRC continues to claim that the U.N. has accepted the so-called One-China Principle. Today, Taiwanese tourists, journalists and other members of civil society have all been barred from entering the U.N.’s facilities with just their Taiwanese passports. These efforts not only serve to exclude Taiwan from representing itself at the U.N., but they create a dangerous, fictional narrative that there exists an international consensus on the so-called One-China Principle. Such moves seek to create a false legal basis for a forceful annexation of Taiwan by claiming it would be a domestic Chinese affair.
The dangers of allowing the PRC to continue down this path are of grave concern to the international community. As the world witnesses the damages caused by authoritarian aggression in Ukraine, it is crucial that we deny the PRC’s erroneous claims about Taiwan’s sovereignty and seek peace in the Taiwan Strait.
The People’s Liberation Army’s intensifying military provocations toward Taiwan are just one example of how China’s behavior poses a regional security threat. The Taiwan Strait is a crucial passageway for half of the world’s seaborne cargo; cross-strait security is therefore critical for maintaining the global economy. Recent individual and joint statements from many of our friends and allies reaffirming the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait demonstrate that our security is of international concern.
As we emerge from a pandemic, the international community should be thinking about how to improve global governance and be prepared to face future challenges. The U.N. should embrace the values of its charter by enfranchising all citizens of the world. The dangers posed by public-health crises, climate change, and geopolitical instability do not discriminate based on nationality, and neither should the most influential international organization. Taiwan is already a key part of the regional economy and global supply chains, making us an important stakeholder for global governance. Given the proper chance in international organizations, Taiwan can be a force for good and can contribute expertise in areas of vital concern for the world.
There is plenty that can be done to end Taiwan’s exclusion from the U.N. and promote good global governance. As a start, our friends and allies in the international community can raise awareness about the PRC’s misuse of Resolution 2758 and dispel the notion that there is any form of international acceptance of the One-China Principle. Next, practical steps can be taken to support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the U.N. and its agencies. That includes seeking clarification over Taiwan’s continued exclusion and urging the secretary-general to demonstrate effective leadership and exercise his discretionary power to grant Taiwan the right to meaningfully participate at the U.N. Such measures would go a long way for promoting peace and stability and strengthening the international system.