By Director General Charles Chou
The time has undeniably come for the United Nations (UN) to affirmatively take action to include Taiwan in the UN system. With Taiwan acting as a responsible stakeholder in global supply chains and contributing to the goals of the UN, all while withstanding continued aggressions from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), we urge the UN to reconsider its groundless arguments for excluding Taiwan.
Taiwan is making remarkable efforts alongside like-minded countries to drive the global economy by being the production hub for over 90 percent of high-end semiconductors globally. We are also becoming a key player in manufacturing high-performance servers that are crucial for the establishment of AI Data Centers, to the extent that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has recently coined the term “T-AI-WAN” as a way to emphasize the role that Taiwan will play in building global AI infrastructure. Not to mention, the extent to which the Taiwan Strait sees the passing of seaborne trade, with over half of the globe’s trade traversing the international waterway.
Despite all these efforts by Taiwan, the UN continues to succumb to the PRC’s pressure to distort the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758 and falsely accept Beijing’s fabricated “One China Principle.” In doing so, the UN deprives Taiwan of its right to participate in the UN and its related agencies (WHO, ICAO, ICC, UNFCCC, etc.) while inadvertently helping to spread the false notion that Taiwan is part of the PRC.
However, upon closer inspection of Resolution 2758, one can find that there is absolutely no mention of Taiwan or the political status of Taiwan. Furthermore, there is no establishment of the PRC having sovereignty over Taiwan or the so-called “One China Principle” in international law. With this in mind, it is clear that there is no written law that prevents Taiwan from participating in the UN or any other international organizations.
Let it be known that these points were further supported in a model resolution passed in July of this year by the International Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), an international organization with representation of parliament members from 38 countries and the EU. Similarly, in August of this year, the Australian Senate passed a motion denouncing Beijing’s misrepresentation of Resolution 2758 and its weaponization against Taiwan.
Taiwan has also received support on this matter from various US officials, and global leaders have emphasized the importance of maintaining stability in the Taiwan Strait through various occasions including G7, EU, NATO, and ASEAN meetings.
It would also be a mistake to believe that China’s expansion and its fallacy of a “One China Principle” is only affecting Taiwan. A clear recent example can be found in the China Coast Guard’s continuous expansion of their territorial claims and influence in the South China Sea through a grey-zone tactic that justifies their entrance into known disputed maritime territory. Meanwhile, Taiwan has continuously proved itself to be a responsible and dependable partner, even contributing to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in recent times.
The 79th UN General Assembly #UNGA79 will be held in September of this year, and it will be an opportunity for nations to address global security challenges, approaches to sustainable development, and ideas for fostering a stronger global community for generations to come.
It is our hope that the UN should consider the value that Taiwan can bring to these meaningful conversations, with its optimal position for maintaining the peace of the Taiwan Strait and its contributions to growing global prosperity.
Taiwan will continue to work together with partner countries to support global supply chains with its robust semiconductor industry and rising presence in the AI industry. We are determined to accomplish all that is in our power to bring the world a better tomorrow, but in order to see true strides in global security and advancement, we need the UN system to include Taiwan.
