Taiwan's Long Fight for Inclusion in the United Nations

TaiwanPlus News

Taiwan has been pushing for inclusion in the UN for over 30 years. How have its efforts evolved?

Transcript

00:00This is the moment when the Republic of China, which is Taiwan's official name,

00:08withdrew from the United Nations in 1971.

00:12In view of the frenzy and the irrational manners that have been expedited in this hall,

00:18the delegation of the Republic of China has now decided not to take part

00:23to any further proceedings of this General Assembly.

00:30This was just before voting began on a resolution to remove the ROC from the U.N. seat representing China

00:36and give that seat instead to the People's Republic of China on the mainland.

00:42Ecuador, Guinea?

00:43Si.

00:44Yes, Ethiopia?

00:45Yes.

00:46That vote would pass.

00:48Ever since, Taiwan has been largely excluded from the U.N.,

00:52its neighbor China using the resolution to justify keeping Taiwan out.

01:00For over 30 years, Taiwan has fought this exclusion, arguing it should be allowed to participate.

01:07In the early 1990s, Taiwan's diplomatic allies began submitting requests to the U.N. General Assembly

01:14to consider the issue of Taiwan's participation,

01:17some years requesting committees to be formed to discuss Taiwan,

01:21other years directly asking for Taiwan's rights at the U.N. to be restored.

01:25Then, in 2007, Taiwan's government took a bolder approach,

01:32formally applying for U.N. membership.

01:34We need to put an appointment on the UN directly with Taiwan's name to the UN's

01:38law.

01:38We need to demonstrate that Taiwan is a real country's truth,

01:44but we need to actively protect the UN's land.

01:48We need to be strengthened by China, too.

01:51But none of these efforts were successful.

01:55As time went on, Taiwan's government began shifting its focus

01:59to advocating for meaningful participation in the U.N. rather than full membership.

02:05And for several years, under former President Ma Yingjio,

02:08whose government had warmer ties with China,

02:11Taiwan was invited to attend meetings of some specialized U.N. agencies.

02:18From 2009 to 2016, attending the World Health Assembly as an observer,

02:24and in 2013, attending the International Civil Aviation Organization's Assembly as a guest,

02:30but both under the name Chinese Taipei.

02:34But after former President Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party,

02:39which has rockier relations with Beijing, took office in 2016,

02:43Taiwan found itself once again blocked.

02:47Still, the country has continued on,

02:50urging allies to speak on its behalf at the General Assembly,

02:54hosting events on the sidelines,

02:57publishing articles and videos,

02:59and emphasizing Taiwan can contribute to the U.N.

03:02in ways that would help the international community.

03:04Alongside the government's campaigns, grassroots movements have also sprung up,

03:28most notably in New York City, where the U.N. is headquartered.

03:31U.N. for Taiwan!

03:33U.N. for Taiwan!

03:36One group holds a yearly rally during the U.N. General Assembly.

03:46Since the early 1990s, they have gone to great lengths to raise awareness,

03:51once renting out a big hall in Lincoln Center to put on a concert.

03:55And during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they couldn't hold in-person events,

03:59sending packages to almost every U.S. senator in Washington, D.C.

04:03We need to remind people, despite the chances low,

04:08despite we are in the very struggling point, but we are not giving up.

04:13We are always going to stand up to remind everyone every year in this time,

04:17that just like to urge the voice on the U.N. for Taiwan,

04:22the inclusion of the Taiwan.

04:24More recently, Taiwan's focus has been on tackling the issue at its core,

04:30publicly refuting China's claims about U.N. Resolution 2758

04:34as Beijing steps up its campaign to manipulate the narrative.

04:39Experts say the resolution only determined which government would represent China at the U.N.,

04:45deciding it should be the PRC in Beijing, not the ROC in Taipei,

04:50and thus removing the, quote, representatives of Chiang Kai-shek,

04:53who led the ROC at the time, from that seat.

04:57But China has been making broader claims,

05:00arguing the resolution settled the issue of Taiwan's sovereignty under international law,

05:05establishing that Taiwan is a part of China

05:07and therefore has no right to participate separately in international organizations,

05:12which one analyst said is a distortion not only of the resolution,

05:17but also of the U.N.'s power.

05:18The General Assembly in the U.N. has the power to determine who may represent a member state,

05:26but the General Assembly doesn't have the power to determine

05:29the political status of any political entity.

05:34So this is really Beijing overstepping what the General Assembly is able to do.

05:42And Taiwan's government has increasingly been pushing back.

05:45In recent years, Taiwan has seen some progress.

06:06Its allies have spoken out against China's distortion of the resolution during the U.N. General Assembly,

06:13while other countries have passed motions challenging China's claims.

06:18Still, Taiwan remains largely excluded from the U.N. system,

06:23China's influence too great, and its 12 remaining diplomatic allies too few.

06:28For those that have a very close relationship with China and see that they get benefits from China

06:36and don't want to put that in jeopardy,

06:38then I think those countries just will continue to stick to their interpretation

06:42that 2758 just determined Taiwan's political status as part of China.

06:48Still, some remain hopeful.

06:51So, even after so many years, with limited success,

07:04Taiwan shows no signs of giving up on its goal of playing a part in the U.N.,

07:24believing firmly that it deserves a seat at the table.

07:28James Lennon, Cadence Quaranta for Taiwan Plus.

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