Foreign Minister Joseph Wu says the UN’s exclusion of Taiwan as a member state is a loss to the international community as a whole. Wu’s statement appeared in recent articles by the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Manila Standard.
In the reports, Wu was cited as saying that Taiwan has donated hundreds of thousands of surgical masks and pieces of protective wear to countries including the Philippines since June. The donations are meant to help recipient countries in their fight against COVID-19. Wu said that countries should come together in the face of COVID-19 and help each other create a better future for sustainable development.
Wu also said that Taiwan has been unjustly excluded from the WHO and the UN due to an erroneous interpretation of a UN General Assembly Resolution that states that the People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate representative of China to the UN. Wu said that border controls during the COVID-19 pandemic are further evidence that China’s insistence that Taiwan is part of its territory is unfounded.
Wu said the UN Charter’s statements about human rights and basic freedoms must be more than just words. Wu said that it is never too late for the UN to include Taiwan.