TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—The Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked the Australian Senate on Thursday (Aug. 22) for passing a resolution supporting Taiwan's sovereignty and participation in international organizations.

On Wednesday (Aug. 21), the Australian Senate led by Senators David Fawcett and Deborah O’Neill unanimously passed a motion declaring: “That United Nations Resolution 2758 of 25 October 1971 does not establish the People’s Republic of China’s sovereignty over Taiwan and does not determine the future status of Taiwan in the United Nations, nor Taiwanese participation in UN agencies or international organizations.” 

In response, the foreign ministry expressed its “high appreciation and sincere gratitude to the Australian Senate for its firm support of Taiwan's international participation.”

The ministry described Fawcett and O'Neill as “staunch friends of Taiwan” noting that they had visited Taiwan in July to attend the annual Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) summit. The Australian Senate became the first to pass a motion based on the "IPAC model resolution on United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758,” following its adoption at this year's IPAC.

The ministry thanked Australia and IPAC for speaking out for justice on behalf of Taiwan and called on the international community to jointly counter China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758 and “its attempt to falsely link the resolution with the so-called “'one-China principle.'”  

It vowed that Taiwan will continue to work with Australia and other like-minded partners to “jointly defend the core values shared by the global democratic camp and to safeguard regional peace, stability, and prosperity.”