Foreign Minister Joseph Wu has published a call in the Boston Globe for the UN to accept Taiwanese membership. That’s ahead of the opening of the 76th UN General Assembly meeting next week.
Wu writes that Taiwan can help at a time when countries around the world are struggling against the COVID-19 pandemic. He also says that turning away Taiwan from the United Nations is a moral loss for the world.
Wu writes that Taiwan has been successful in fighting COVID-19 for nearly a year. He says that despite facing a surge in COVID cases in the last months, Taiwan has been able to keep the pandemic from getting out of control. Therefore, Wu says that Taiwan is in a better position to work with allies and partners to address the challenges posed by the pandemic.
Wu says that a 1971 resolution cited as a legal basis for excluding Taiwan from the UN only gave China’s UN seat to Beijing. He says it makes no mention of China’s alleged sovereignty over Taiwan and does not authorize China to represent Taiwan at the UN.
Wu says that Taiwan’s exclusion from the UN not only undermines the concept of multilateralism and violates the principles of human rights and fundamental freedom, but also hinders the overall efforts of the UN itself.
Wu also says that for 60 years, Taiwan has been providing assistance to partner countries in achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Wu writes, “Now is the time to bring Taiwan to the table and let Taiwan help.”