Five Taiwan allies urge UN to involve Taiwan — Taipei Times
Representatives of five of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies at the UN in New York, United States, on Friday sent a joint letter to Secretary-General António Guterres calling on him to find a way to ensure Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the organization’s work, Taipei Times reports.
Allies’ three appeals
The letter was sent ahead of the general debate of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. Its authors made three appeals: to facilitate Taiwan’s involvement in the UN’s work, recognize its contribution to maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait, and cooperate with member states to prevent military conflicts and peacefully settle disputes.
The allies’ representatives said that UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, which concerned China’s representation at the UN and admitted the People’s Republic of China to the organization, does not preclude Taiwan’s participation. Beijing says the resolution affirmed the “one China” principle. Taiwan, in turn, believes that the document concerned only China’s representation at the UN, did not mention Taiwan, and did not determine its political status or the PRC’s sovereignty over it.
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Signatories to the letter
The letter was signed by permanent representatives to the UN Ilana Seid of Palau, Menissa Rambally of Saint Lucia, John Silk of the Marshall Islands, Janine Coye-Felson of Belize, and Inga Rhonda King of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The appeal addressed to Guterres was received by his chief of staff, Earle Courtenay Rattray.
Lee Chih-chiang, head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, thanked the allies for supporting Taiwan’s participation in the UN. According to him, the organization should find ways to involve Taiwan, including in initiatives under the Sustainable Development Goals. The high-level general debate of the 81st session of the General Assembly is scheduled to take place at UN Headquarters in New York from next Tuesday through September 28.
