Allies call for Taiwan's inclusion in joint letter to United Nations

Washington, Sept. 19 (CNA) Permanent representatives to the United Nations from five of Taiwan's diplomatic allies sent a joint letter to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday, calling for the country's inclusion in the world governing body.

In the letter sent ahead of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) General Debate, the allies made three demands of the U.N. in support of Taiwan: inclusion, recognition, and camaraderie.

Specifically, Taiwan's allies implored the U.N. to seek an appropriate way to facilitate Taiwan's meaningful involvement in the world governing body, arguing that Resolution 2758, which accepted the People's Republic of China (PRC) as a member of the UN, does not exclude Taiwan.

While U.N. Resolution 2758 does not mention Taiwan and only addresses the issue of China's representation, Beijing interprets it as a decision giving it the right to represent China, including Taiwan.

Beijing claims that the resolution "confirmed" its "One China" principle, which asserts there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is "an inalienable part of China."

Taiwan, on the other hand, argues that the resolution only addressed the issue of China's representation at the U.N. and did not mention Taiwan, nor did it address its political status or establish China's sovereignty over Taiwan.

Aside from promoting Taiwan's inclusion in the U.N., Taiwan's allies also called for the world governing body to recognize Taiwan's contribution to cross-strait peace through its efforts in maintaining the status quo.

The letter stated that cross-strait peace is a crucial element in world peace and prosperity.

The third demand made by Taiwan's allies in the letter implored the U.N. to stick to its principles and work with member nations to proactively prevent military conflict and promote dispute resolution in a peaceful manner.

The joint letter was addressed to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, and accepted by Guterres' Chef de Cabinet Earle Courtenay Rattray.

Permanent Representatives Ilana Seid of Palau, Menissa Rambally of Saint Lucia, John Silk of the Marshall Islands, Janine Coye-Felson of Belize, and Vynnette Frederick of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines represented Taiwan's allies in delivering the letter to Rattray.

In a separate statement, Lee Chih-chiang (李志強), who heads the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, thanked Taiwan's diplomatic allies for taking action to express their strong support for the country's participation in the U.N. system.

Lee emphasized that the U.N. must find ways to include Taiwan, so that the country can contribute to initiatives such as the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.

He also stated that the inclusion of Taiwan is crucial to the U.N. fulfilling its theme for the debate of the 81st General Assembly: "Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all."

UNGA 81 opened on Sept. 8, with the high-level General Debate running from next Tuesday, Sept. 22 to Sept. 28, at the UN headquarters in New York City.

(By Tony Liao and James Lo)

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