外交部 Talking points for Taiwan’s UN Membership Application

1.Introduction
To avoid unnecessary political disputes, Taiwan, since 1993 and through it diplomatic allies, requests the United Nations (UN) General Assembly consider the question of participation of Taiwan’s 23 million people in the UN and come up with a viable solution. However, due to obstruction from China, the UN has yet to hold any open and fair debates. The people of Taiwan have become impatient with this modest approach and have therefore requested that the government consider applying directly for membership in the UN and other international organizations by using the name Taiwan.
According to a poll conducted by the Executive Yuan’s Mainland Affairs Council in April 2007, more than 77% of respondents support using the name Taiwan to apply for membership in international organizations, the United Nations included. In the face of such clear-cut public opinion, democratically-elected government of Taiwan must respond accordingly. As such, we have decided to apply for UN membership under the name Taiwan.

2.Reasons for promoting Taiwan’s UN membership bid
(1) Taiwan is entitled to UN membership Taiwan has a population of 23 million, and a democratically elected government with jurisdiction over the islands of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu. It also maintains diplomatic ties with twenty three UN members and one observer. Since Taiwan has all the qualifications (a permanent population, a defined territory, government, capacity to enter relations with the other states) for a sovereign state as laid out in the “Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States,” it has the right to apply for full UN membership as per Article 4 of the UN Charter.

(2)Taiwan needs to become a member of the United Nations
Membership universality is one of the fundamental principles of the United Nations. As the preamble of the UN Charter stresses the principle of equal rights for all, Taiwan’s 23 million people clearly have the right to participate on an equal footing in UN affairs. Moreover, Taiwan currently ranks as the world’s 18th largest economy, the 16th largest trading nation and stands as one of the top 20 sources of foreign investment. Taiwan’s democratic achievements are also recognized worldwide, and can serve as a model for developing countries. There is no doubt that Taiwan has become an important player in the international community. In this era of globalization, when all countries highly depend on each other, the United Nations, as the most important forum dealing with global issues, should accept Taiwan as a full member in order to avoid creating a weak link in the global collaborative network.
In addition, cross-strait relations in recent years have remained strained. China has consistently refused to give up using military force against Taiwan and has deployed tactical missiles along its coast aimed at Taiwan. Moreover, China uses every possible means to block and undermine Taiwan in an attempt to deprive Taiwan of international space. China has also bullied other nations and international organizations into accepting that Taiwan is one if its provinces, which severely erodes the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and threatens Taiwan’s existence and security.
To protect Taiwan’s political and economic development, as well as peace and security, the government has no other choice but to join the United Nations, which was created precisely to maintain peace and security throughout the world. Were the United Nations to accept Taiwan, both sides of the Taiwan Strait would be able to interact on an equal footing under the UN framework, thereby harmonizing cross-strait relations.

(3)Excluding Taiwan from the United Nations not only deprives Taiwan of its right to participate in and contribute to the work of UN and its specialized agencies, but also infringes upon the basic human rights of the 23 million people of Taiwan

UN specialized agencies cover a variety of areas closely related to the well-being of humankind, including economics, culture, education, health, social affairs, communication, environmental protection, human rights, drug control and anti-terrorism. In this era of globalization, many issues can only be effectively resolved through the collaboration of all nations. No country should be excluded from important matters that influence the development and well-being of all humankind. To avoid creating a weak link in the global collaborative network, the United Nations, as the most important forum dealing with global issues, should accept Taiwan as a member.

The United Nations refuses, for political reasons, to allow the 23 million people of Taiwan to join in the deliberations and activities of the United Nations and its specialized agencies. This seriously violates the fundamental rights of the 23 million people of Taiwan to participate in the international community. In addition, this is clearly in breach of Article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, which advocates that “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration… no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs…” Only when Taiwan joins the United Nations can the collective human rights and security of its 23 million people be fully guaranteed.

(4)Applying for UN membership under the name Taiwan does not change the status quo
According to our country’s Constitution, Taiwan’s official name is the “Republic of China.” Yet, the majority of nations refuse to recognize Taiwan’s official name owing to pressure from China. Consequently, we have to be flexible on the name we use in order to expand Taiwan’s international participation. Two best examples are Taiwan’s joining the World Trade Organization as “The Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu” and the International Olympics Committee as “Chinese Taipei.”
Since the international community often refers to us as “Taiwan,” our choice to use the name “Taiwan” to apply for UN membership conforms to international custom. It also reflects the hopes of Taiwan’s 23 million people. Furthermore, certain nations, such as Switzerland and Macedonia, use the name other than their official titles in the UN. By the same token, as long as we do not change our country’s consititutional name, applying for UN membership with the name Taiwan has absolutely nothing to do with changing our official name or the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.

(5)UN Resolution 2758 did not resolve the issue of the representation of Taiwan’s 23 million people in the UN

On October 25, 1971, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758, paving the way for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to become a member of the United Nations. The United Nations and its specialized agencies have since barred Taiwan’s government, NGOs and even citizens from participating in UN meetings and activities.

We would like to point out that Resolution 2758 addresses only the issue of the representation of the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations and its specialized agencies. It by no means grants the PRC the right to represent the 23 million people of Taiwan in the United Nations and its affiliated organizations. In addition, for nearly 60 years, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have been governed separately, with neither side having any control or jurisdiction over the other. This is an objective fact. Hence, the United Nations is obligated to re-examine Resolution 2758 and reach a new decision that fully reflects the current cross-strait reality.

(6)Taiwan is ready, willing and able to participate in international cooperation

Taiwan’s proven ability to make good use of foreign aid to achieve economic growth and democratic development could be a model for many developing nations. It is ready, willing and able to share this unique experience with the rest of the world by engaging constructively in various foreign assistance, humanitarian and relief programmes.

Although excluded from international organizations and unable to fully participate in various international cooperative efforts, Taiwan still does its best to use all possible channels to contribute significantly to the development of peoples in many countries all over the world. Taiwan’s endeavours would be much more effective if they could be coordinated with international efforts spearheaded by the United Nations and its specialized agencies. In a time of increasingly serious resource gaps in many vitally important world programmes, refusing to work with a willing partner like Taiwan does not serve wisely the interests of the international community.