New York [US], September 15 (ANI): The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in New York has launched an international campaign promoting Taiwan‘s bid to participate in the activities, mechanisms and meetings of the UN as a key partner in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, a media report said on Wednesday.
The initiative was unveiled ahead of the 76th UN General Assembly commenced on September 14. The initiative showcases Taiwan‘s contributions to stimulating global economic recovery and sustainable development to help equip the world for a prosperous post-COVID-19 era, Taiwan Today reported citing the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).
The Give Taiwan A Voice website is the latest government initiative urging global support for Taiwan‘s bid to take part in the UN system.
According to Taiwan‘s MOFA, one of the highlights of the campaign is that the website calls on people around the world to show their support by lighting a virtual sky lantern and leaving a message expressing why Taiwan should be given a voice at the UN.
The TECO in New York is also organising the “Road to a More Resilient Future: Sustainable Support for Syrian Refugees conference” on September 16 to reaffirm the government’s commitment to providing humanitarian assistance to people displaced by war in the Middle East.
TECO‘s bid to participate in the activities, mechanisms and meetings of the UN as a key partner came at a time when Chinese jets flew into Taiwan‘s air defence identification zone rigorously.
On Saturday, a Chinese military aircraft flew into Taiwan‘s air defence identification zone (ADIZ).
One People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s (PLAAF) Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane entered the southwest corner of Taiwan‘s ADIZ, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND).
In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, broadcast radio warnings, and deployed air defence missile systems to track the PLAAF plane.
China has sent a mix of spotter planes, fighter jets, and bombers into the zone every day this month except for September 2.
Since mid-September of last year, Beijing has stepped up its grey-zone tactics by regularly sending planes into Taiwan‘s ADIZ, with most instances occurring in the southwest corner of the zone and usually consisting of one to three slow-flying turboprop planes.
Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades.
Taipei, on the other hand, has countered the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US, which has been repeatedly opposed by Beijing. China has threatened that “Taiwan‘s independence” means war.
Taiwan thanks global parliamentary alliance for support amid Chinese threat
Taiwan has welcomed a video statement issued by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) and thanked member states for defending Lithuania and Taipei in face of the Chinese threat.
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) called on the international community to stand in solidarity with Lithuania and Taiwan amid intense pressure from the Chinese government, Taiwan News.
The Taiwan Foreign Ministry said that there has been a recent wave of support among democracies for expanded Taiwan–Lithuania relations.
It pointed out that the European chapter of the Formosa Club sent messages to the EU and NATO on August 25, saying Lithuania had the right to do what 15 other European nations had already done by establishing an office in Taipei.
The IPAC is an international cross-party coalition of over 100 parliamentarians from the world’s democratic legislatures who are focused on creating a coordinated response to stand up to China on global security, human rights and trade issues.
In a video statement released on Monday via Twitter, IPAC members appealed to the democratic states of the world to stand “shoulder-to-shoulder” with Lithuania, asking them to be aware of China’s retaliatory tactics against countries such as Lithuania and Taiwan, Focus Taiwan reported.
This comes as Lithuania is facing retribution from China for backing out of the “Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (17+1)” initiative, calling out human rights abuse in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and allowing Taiwan to set up its representative office in Vilnius bearing the name of “Taiwan” rather than “Taipei.”
In August, China announced the decision to recall its ambassador from Vilnius. The Chinese move comes in response to the Lithuanian authorities’ plan to open a Taiwan representative office in the country.
Vilnius has been an increasingly vocal critic of China’s actions towards Taiwan, as well as in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.
In July, Lithuania announced it would open a representative office in Taiwan right after Taiwan‘s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said Taipei will open a representative office and name it “The Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania,” in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.
Tensions between China and Lithuania have escalated in recent months. In May, Lithuania pulled out of China’s 17+1 cooperation forum with central and eastern European states.
Meanwhile, Lithuania‘s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has even urged other EU member countries to follow suit amid worsening ties between the 27-member bloc and China.
In May, the Lithuanian parliament termed China’s treatment of its Uyghur minority as “genocide”, and voted to call for a UN probe of the internment camps in the country’s northwest region of Xinjiang.
Canadian lawmaker calls for Taiwan’s UN participation
A Canadian lawmaker has voiced his support for Taiwan‘s participation in the UN’s sustainable development projects.
In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday, Canadian Senator Leo Housakos said: “As a beacon of democracy in the region, the time is long past due that Taiwan is welcomed as a partner within the UN system”.
This comes as the UN convened its 76th General Assembly in New York City. The UN and its specialized agencies continue to reject Taiwan, citing the 1971 U.N. General Assembly Resolution 2758 (XXVI) as a legal basis for the exclusion, Taipei Times reported.
The General Assembly’s theme of COVID-19 resilience, global ecological sustainability and revitalizing the UN “cries out for Taiwan‘s inclusion in the UN system and represents an opportunity to bring Taiwan‘s 23.5 million people into its fold,” he said.
Taiwan‘s effective response to the pandemic, relevance to global supply chains and willingness to aid partner countries, including giving personal protective equipment to Canada, prove the contribution Taiwan could make to the UN, he said.
Guterres is urged to address the unjust exclusion of Taiwanese from its system, and correct its discriminatory policy against the holders of the country’s passports, Housakos said.
Taiwan, as the Republic of China, left the UN in 1971, when the PRC took its place, and has since been excluded from its special agencies, Focus Taiwan reported.
“It has been 50 years since the fateful decision to exclude Taiwan in favour of wrongfully having their interests represented by the People’s Republic of China. This ongoing injustice appears predicated on the UN Secretariat’s wrongful interpretation of Resolution 2758,” the letter noted.
Taiwan has over the years campaigned for its participation in the activities, mechanisms and meetings of the UN.
Additionally, Guterres should take steps to “ensure that Taiwan is afforded the right to participate in a dignified and equal manner in meetings, mechanisms and activities related to the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” he said.
Last week, two members of the US House of Representatives on Thursday urged the US government to support UN membership for Taiwan.
In a letter addressed to US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Republican Representatives Scott Perry and Tom Tiffany called on the ambassador to “use the voice, vote, and influence of the United States to secure Taiwan‘s ascension.” (ANI)
