Working Together for a Safer World
In support of Taiwan’s Participation as an Observer in INTERPOL
“Its aims are to ensure and promote the widest possible mutual assistance between all criminal police authorities….”
-- Article 2 of INTERPOL’s Constitution
Transnational crime is rampant in today’s globalized world, thus we must “ensure and promote the widest possible mutual assistance between all criminal police authorities,” as provided in Article 2 of INTERPOL’s Constitution. To this end, police from around the world need to work together to close all gaps in the global security network. The Republic of China (Taiwan) requests your support for its meaningful participation in the 87th INTERPOL General Assembly in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as an Observer under the name Chinese Taipei, and in INTERPOL meetings, mechanisms, and activities. In particular, it is imperative that Taiwan gain access to the I-24/7 Global Police Communications System and partake in key training programs.
I. Taiwan has been unable to participate in INTERPOL for 34 years due to political interference.
Taiwan has been excluded from INTERPOL for the past 34 years since China was admitted to the organization in 1984. Both Taiwan’s request to attend the 85th General Assembly as an Observer in 2016 and its application for an INTERPOL Major Event Support Team (IMEST) to help ensure the safety of spectators and athletes at the Taipei 2017 Universiade were rejected by INTERPOL. The rejections were based on the 1984 General Assembly decision and subsequent arrangements that call for Taiwan to be treated as a regional police body under China, thus requiring that administrative affairs regarding Taiwan be handled by China. INTERPOL must acknowledge that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are governed by two governments with separate jurisdictions. The 1984 General Assembly decision and subsequent arrangements with regard to Taiwan’s participation are clearly at odds with the INTERPOL Constitution, which calls for full law enforcement cooperation around the globe and denounces political interference.
II. The absence of Taiwan, the world’s 22nd-largest economy, from INTERPOL creates a major breach in the global security network.
With a population of 23 million people, Taiwan is the world’s 22nd-largest economy and 17th-largest exporting country. Connecting Northeast and Southeast Asia, Taiwan serves as a hub for the movement of capital, goods, and people, with around 66 million passengers traveling through it last year alone. However, Taiwan’s ability to implement security checks at its borders and fight terrorism, human trafficking, and other transnational crimes is seriously hampered by its lack of direct access to the I-24/7 Global Police Communications System and related Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database, causing delays or gaps in its acquisition of critical information.
Taiwan currently receives important INTERPOL information through limited bilateral channels, but such information is never fully up-to-date or complete. For example, a habitual thief from Korea wanted by INTERPOL entered Taiwan and committed several burglaries in August 2017. Taiwan’s border control officers were unaware of the warrant for his arrest due to the lack of updated/firsthand information from INTEROL. Moreover, the SLTD database, crucial to border security, was searched more than 1.2 trillion times from January to September 2016, uncovering more than 110,000 instances of travel documents being used illegally. Therefore, the gap caused by Taiwan’s lack of access to this database needs to be mended.
III. Taiwan wishes to participate in INTERPOL and exchange experience with the international community to help fight cross-border crime.
Taiwan’s National Police Agency has worked with other law enforcement agencies around the world to solve transnational crimes on many occasions. For instance, earlier this year, the law enforcement agencies of Taiwan and Thailand jointly conducted large-scale raids against an organized crime syndicate, retrieving 120 million baht in illicit funds. INTERPOL also asked the central governments of various countries to help intercept over US$60 million in funds stolen from a Taiwanese bank in October 2017. In another case, Taiwan received intelligence from certain INTERPOL members that was ultimately used to catch a Romanian crime syndicate counterfeiting credit cards.
Such cases demonstrate Taiwan’s determination to combat cross-border crime and willingness to exchange experience with INTERPOL members so as to better prevent and combat transnational crime. Furthermore, the three focal areas of the INTERPOL Strategic Framework 2017-2020 (counter-terrorism, cybercrime, and organized and emerging crimes) cannot be addressed by one entity alone. Thus, Taiwan hopes to participate in INTERPOL training programs and enhance interaction with the law enforcement agencies of other countries, thereby further strengthening cooperation on combating cross-border crime and related capabilities.
IV. Taiwan’s participation in INTERPOL would make for a safer world.
INTERPOL has fought crime and upheld justice for nearly a century since its establishment in 1923. To this end, INTERPOL should uphold its vision to connect law enforcement agencies to make the world safer and stay abreast of related international endeavors, such as UN Sustainable Development Goal No. 16—to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime. The cooperation of police agencies from all over the world is needed to establish a reliable and seamless global security network, and Taiwan’s presence is essential to the realization of this objective.
Article 6 of the Rules of Procedure of the INTERPOL General Assembly stipulates that “Police bodies which are not members of the Organization may be invited to attend General Assembly sessions as observers.” Please support Taiwan’s bid to attend the 87th INTERPOL General Assembly as an Observer and to meaningfully participate in INTERPOL meetings, mechanisms, and activities in order to fill the gap in the global security network and create together a safer world.