TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — More diplomatic allies spoke up for Taiwan at the 79th UN General Assembly on Sept. 23.
In addition to Palau, the Marshall Islands, Eswatini, and Paraguay have also vocally backed Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN system at the Summit of the Future.
Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine said, “Taiwan’s important partnership deserves appropriate recognition.” Referencing the UN’s mission to leave no one behind, Heine said Taiwan “deserves meaningful and enhanced participation in the UN system.”
Eswatini Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini lauded Taiwan’s contributions to public health, economic development, and technology. “Excluding Taiwan limits global cooperation when it is most needed,” Dlamini said. He called for Taiwan’s “meaningful participation” in global organizations.
Paraguay President Santiago Pena said his nation stands for a peaceful future free from conquest. “For this reason, we defend countries like Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, that have a right to be respected and treated with dignity,” Pena said. “Might does not make right,” he added.
Taiwan has been campaigning hard to join the UN system. Taiwanese politicians participated in the “March for Taiwan” in Manhattan earlier this month. Organized by the NGO Keep Taiwan Free, the march called for Taiwan's inclusion in the UN. Taiwanese expats, students, and supporters gathered in front of the Chinese consulate in Midtown Manhattan before heading towards Times Square.
Taiwan’s New York representative office also deployed a "Taiwan Peace Truck” for a “Chip in with Taiwan” pop-up event to help people understand Taiwan’s technological contributions. Representatives from the allied nations of Belize, Paraguay, and Tuvalu accompanied Lee to launch the event.
Taiwan is also calling upon its diplomatic allies to urge the secretary-general to rectify the organization’s interpretation of UN Resolution 2758.
In an op-ed published in South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) recently called for Taiwan's inclusion in the UN system to ensure peace in the Indo-Pacific.
Lin pointed out China’s intentional distortion of UN Resolution 2758 by linking it with its “one China” principle. “The UN should reclaim the proper interpretation of UN Resolution 2758 to maintain international peace and security as stipulated in the UN Charter and find ways to combat China’s aggressive ambitions,” he said.
The foreign minister also said the international community has emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait at multilateral forums. However, he said they have not taken concrete measures to respond to China’s aggression or include Taiwan in the UN.
The UN General Assembly will conclude on Sept. 30.
