Taiwan’s Struggle for U.N. Membership

By Pertz Liao

Long a controversial topic, Taiwan’s most recent bid to join the UN this September was promptly rejected by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on legal grounds established by a resolution passed in 1971 that ejected Taiwan from the UN. The battle will continue, however, as those who support UN membership for Taiwan vow to continue fighting for what they believe to be right. When the UN was established in 1945, China, one of its founding members, was controlled by the Kuomingtang (KMT) political party and was known as the Republic of China (ROC). In 1949, the Kuomingtang fled to Taiwan in order to escape the Communists, who established the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The ROC government then took power in Taiwan. However, the ROC government continued to represent China at the UN until 1971, when the General Assembly passed Resolution 2758, making the PRC government the representative government of China. After Resolution 2758, the ROC government in Taiwan was forced to surrender its seat in the UN to the PRC government in China. In 1972, President Nixon of the United States visited China, formalizing ties with China and acknowledging the fact that there is only one China. That was more than 30 years ago.Over the past fifteen years, Taiwan has applied for admission to the UN every year. Each attempt to join the UN has failed, due to the small number of political allies and China’s power of veto. However, the most recent bid for UN membership was different from the previous attempts; this time around, Taiwan applied under the name “Taiwan,” not “Republic of China.” Secretary General of the UN Ban Ki-moon, reiterated the UN’s stand on the One-China policy, commenting on the recent request by stating, “Membership [to the United Nations] is given to a sovereign country. The position of the United Nations is that the People’s Republic of China is representing the whole of China as the sole and legitimate representative government of China. The decision until now about the wish of the people in Taiwan to join the United Nations has been decided on that basis. The resolution [General Assembly Resolution 2758] is clearly mentioning that the government of China is the sole and legitimate government, and the position of the United Nations is that Taiwan is part of China.”In response, sixteen of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, including the Solomon Islands, proposed a motion to place the issue of Taiwan’s application on the Assembly’s agenda, but a General Assembly committee rejected the proposal.Leaders of the ROC government argue that the 23 million people residing in Taiwan are not represented in the UN. Vice President Annette Lu of Taiwan said, “The Resolution said nothing about the Republic of China or Taiwan. There is only one China but there is also one Taiwan. We are applying for UN membership under the name Taiwan.” President Chen Shui-bian of Taiwan plans to hold a referendum asking citizens if the island should join the UN under the name “Taiwan.” Demonstrations have also been held in Taiwan; in September, around 100,000 people filed into the streets of Kaohsiung, the second largest city in Taiwan, to show their support for the referendum. Taiwanese expatriates also held their own protest outside of the UN Headquarters in New York City.China and the United States, two major world powers, are both deeply involved in Taiwan’s effort to increase her presence in world affairs, but they share different views. Chinese officials hold the belief that Taiwan is part of China, and therefore do not want Taiwan to join the UN. Membership, they claim, would increase Taiwan’s international sovereignty. China is also afraid that Chen implies that Taiwan is separate from China. The United States has warned Chen to “behave in a responsible manner.” American officials worry that Chen’s actions will provoke China, and that the shaky, but peaceful relations between the island and the mainland will dissolve.With Taiwan and China refusing to budge from their position, it is certain that the question of Taiwan’s status will remain a hot topic for some time indefinitely.