Chia-ping Liu
WHEN Taiwanese visit Guam and North Mariana Islands for vacations, they are warmly welcomed and enjoy the convenience that visa waiver programs offer them. You probably cannot believe that Taiwan passport holders are prohibited from entering United Nations premises while many people around the world enjoy the freedom of visiting there.
In fact, the UN’s current practice also denies accreditation of Taiwanese media outlets and journalists to cover UN meetings and events. The practice that violates the principle of freedom of the press not only surprises you but also has raised lots of concerns. The blatant discrimination against Taiwanese is based purely on improper political considerations.
The People’s Republic of China’s distortion of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 is the root cause of Taiwan’s unjustified exclusion from the UN system. UNGA Resolution 2758 merely addressed the issue of China’s representation in the UN in 1971. It did not constitute a UN institutional position on the political status of Taiwan at all. It’s disappointed that the People’s Republic of China continues to misconstrue the resolution as equivalent to its “one China principle,” which has been hurting Taiwan’s sovereignty for decades.
According to Article 12 to 14 of the UN Charter, UNGA Resolution 396, a letter drafted by the UN secretary-general in 1971, a legal opinion given by the UN Secretariat’s Office of Legal Affairs or OLA in 1962, and Article 38 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice as it pertains to international law, UN resolutions and OLA interpretations of resolutions have no legally binding power over UN member states. While China distorts UNGA Resolution 2758 and forces other UN member states to accept its false narratives, the sovereign right of UN member states to determine their relations with Taiwan is obviously being infringed.
It is worth noticing that China’s action is actually seeking to unilaterally change the Taiwan Strait status quo and is going to gravely threaten peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. We believe that is why U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Mark Lambert said the world needs to oppose China’s distortion of UNGA Resolution 2758, which wrongly justifies China’s claim over Taiwan, during a discussion at the German Marshall Fund this April.
Lambert listed four points regarding the resolution. First, it does not endorse China’s “one China principle” or represent international consensus. Second, the relationships between Taiwan and other countries are sovereign decisions of each country and unrelated to the resolution.
Third, the resolution does not decide the political status of Taiwan in the UN. Finally, it does not exclude Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the UN and other international organizations, Lambert said.
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, an international organization comprising over 250 members of parliament from 38 countries and the European Union, therefore launched the 2758 Initiative at its 2024 summit, where the delegates passed a model resolution on UNGA Resolution 2758 issues and pledged to pass similar resolutions in their own parliaments to reject Beijing’s distortion of UNGA Resolution 2758 regarding Taiwan’s status.
The Australian Senate has become the first parliament that supported the 2758 Initiative and passed an urgency motion rejecting Beijing’s misinterpretation of UNGA Resolution 2758 and international law on August 21, 2024. The motion says UNGA Resolution 2758 “does not establish the People’s Republic of China’s sovereignty over Taiwan and does not determine the future status of Taiwan in the UN.” The motion also emphasizes that UNGA Resolution 2758 doesn’t prevent Taiwan from participating in UN organizations and agencies either.
The 79th session of the UN General Assembly has opened on September 10, 2024 in New York and the theme of this year is “Leaving no one behind: acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations.” Taiwan has proven it is a reliable and responsible member of international community and a force for good. Ironically, Taiwan and its 23.5 million people are still left behind by the UN.
Taiwan’s bid for the UN participation this year is focusing on enhancing international understanding of UNGA Resolution 2758. The resolution does not mention Taiwan and thus has nothing to do with Taiwan.
We appreciate that our brothers and sisters in Guam and North Mariana Islands are always nice and support Taiwan. We would like to keep promoting dialogue, exchanges, and collaborations between Taiwan and the Marianas. We sincerely request continuous support from our brothers and sisters in the Marianas for calling on the UN to end its discriminatory policies against Taiwan immediately.
