Lin Chia-lung: It’s time for the United Nations to stop excluding Taiwan

The idea that the UN must choose between the People's Republic of China and Taiwan is a false dichotomy

Published Sep 05, 2024  •  4 minute read

A bronze statue of the former leader of Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek, is seen behind the national flag of Taiwan on Sept. 24, 2022 in Kinmen, Taiwan. Photo by Annabelle Chih/Getty Images

Taiwan is an indispensable partner in global supply chains, producing more than 90 per cent of the world’s high-end semiconductors and a significant portion of the advanced chips that power artificial intelligence. Moreover, half of the world’s seaborne trade passes through the Taiwan Strait, the waterway between Taiwan and China, making it a key international shipping lane.

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Yet even though billions of people around the world have enjoyed great prosperity thanks to the peace and stability that prevails across the strait, China continues to intensify its aggression against Taiwan. Beijing’s attempts to change the status quo across the waterway and expand authoritarianism throughout the Indo-Pacific region threaten the whole world.

In recent years, global leaders have used both bilateral and multilateral occasions — including G7, European Union, NATO, and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meetings — to highlight the importance of maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait. However, despite being aware of the importance of reducing tensions in the region, the United Nations has yet to address the challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) or to incorporate Taiwan into the UN system.

As new approaches to engaging with Taiwan have emerged in the global community, yielding huge global benefits, the idea that there must be a choice between the PRC and Taiwan in the UN system is a false dichotomy. Now is the right time for the UN to rethink its unjustified policies that exclude Taiwan.

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The first and most urgent task that the UN must address is to stop succumbing to the PRC’s pressure. It must refrain from distorting further the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758 of 1971, which merely addresses the issue of China’s representation in the UN. It does not mention Taiwan. It neither states that Taiwan is part of the PRC nor ascribes to the PRC any right to represent Taiwan in the UN system.

The PRC has misrepresented Resolution 2758 and falsely conflated it with its own One China principle, which differs from the One China policy adopted by many countries, and has relentlessly suppressed Taiwan’s legitimate right to meaningfully participate in the UN and its specialized agencies.

This misrepresentation has far-reaching consequences. Taiwanese citizens and journalists have been denied access to UN premises and prevented from visiting, attending meetings and engaging in newsgathering. Further, Beijing’s tactic of weaponizing Resolution 2758 to spread the fallacy that Taiwan is part of the PRC is part of a wider campaign to establish the legal justification for a future armed invasion of Taiwan.

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This case illustrates the PRC’s growing assertiveness on the international stage. If left unchallenged and uncorrected, Beijing’s false claims will not only alter the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, but also jeopardize peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and threaten the rules-based international order.

Thankfully, in recent months, several senior United States officials have criticized the PRC’s distortion of Resolution 2758 to justify its spurious claim over Taiwan. Furthermore, on July 30, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, an international organization comprising over 250 members of parliament from 38 countries and the EU, demonstrated concrete support for Taiwan by passing a model resolution on Resolution 2758. To hold true to the values outlined in the UN Charter, the UN must encourage a correct interpretation of Resolution 2758 and explore means of resisting the PRC’s aggressive ambitions.

The PRC’s expansionism will not stop at Taiwan. Recent regulations introduced by the China Coast Guard permit the boarding and detaining of vessels and allow individuals to enter disputed maritime areas, marking a clear attempt by Beijing to assert control over international waters and challenge global norms and claims. These tactics are part of a broader grey-zone strategy to reinforce the PRC’s deceptive territorial claims and expand its influence. The UN and the international community must respond by reiterating their concerns about Beijing’s coercive behaviour and working together to prevent its unlawful schemes.

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History has shown that democratic resolve must be demonstrated ahead of time — before it is too late. As the world’s foremost forum for international cooperation, the UN system is ideally positioned to address regional security challenges and support global economic stability. The upcoming 79th UNGA session, starting Sept. 10, and its Summit of the Future later this month present a timely opportunity to address these concerns.

Over many decades, Taiwan has proven to be a responsible and reliable partner to those it has worked with. More recently, we have also made significant contributions to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Embracing Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the UN system would undoubtedly be the best option for mitigating any potential regional crisis, maintaining a stable and peaceful Taiwan Strait, and spurring global prosperity.

Looking ahead, Taiwan will continue to play its part. Working with like-minded countries to maintain healthy and resilient global supply chains — particularly in the semiconductor industry — will remain a top priority.

For a more secure and better world, the UN system needs to include Taiwan.

National Post

Lin Chia-lung is the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan.

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