Nine Countries Urge UN to Allow Taiwan’s Participation
Nine of Taiwan's diplomatic allies have sent a joint letter to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres calling for the island's participation in the U.N. systems.
"It's the day that I call our pilgrimage, in the name of Taiwan, to the United Nations, to continue to advocate for Taiwan's meaningful participation in the United Nations," Inga Rhonda King, permanent representative of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to the United Nations, told reporters outside of the U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 19, after delivering the letter to the secretary-general's office along with other U.N. representatives of Taiwan's allies.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines was one of the countries that signed the letter. The other co-signees were Belize, Eswatini, Guatemala, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Tuvalu.
King said Taiwan's more than 23 million citizens should not be excluded from the U.N. system. Additionally, since one of the U.N. initiatives has been trying to bridge the digital divide among nations, she added that Taiwan shouldn't be left out since it is a leader in artificial intelligence and semiconductors.
Taiwan, officially called the Republic of China (ROC), left the U.N. as a permanent member of the Security Council in October 1971 after the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) voted to pass Resolution 2758. China, officially known as the People's Republic of China (PRC), subsequently took Taiwan's U.N. seat.
Since then, Taiwan has been excluded from U.N. agencies, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), due to China's opposition.
"There shouldn't be any discrimination [against] Taiwan on the basis that [it is] not a member of the United Nations," said John Silk, permanent representative of the Marshall Islands to the United Nations.
"The United Nations should uphold the principle of neutrality and stop erroneously citing UNGA Resolution 2758 and improperly depriving Taiwanese people and the media of the rights to enter the United Nations to visit, attend, or cover meetings and events," the joint letter reads.
Silk said he expected Guterres to respond to the letter this year.
"We expect that he will respond to us in due course. I don't think he's going to ignore our letter. He's going to have to respond to it. These are countries that are within the U.N. family," Silk said.
"Taiwan sincerely hopes that the United Nations will uphold the 'principle of universality' and the commitment to 'leave no one behind' by including Taiwan's meaningful participation to enhance the well-being of present and future generations, and to advocate for global democracy, peace, and prosperity," Lee said in a statement, according to a press release.
He also noted the United States' commitment to Taiwan in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act, which authorizes the U.S. to provide the island with military equipment for self-defense.
The United States has had no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan since Washington changed its diplomatic recognition in favor of Beijing in 1979. However, Washington and Taipei have enjoyed a robust relationship based on the Taiwan Relations Act.
The United States has a "One China" policy, which asserts that there is only one sovereign state with the name "China." This policy is different from Beijing's "one China principle."
