By Jaushieh Joseph Wu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan)
After more than 200 million infections and over 4 million deaths and counting, the COVID-19 pandemic has raged across the globe, creating a profoundly devastating socio-economic impact on our interconnected world. The pandemic has disrupted global trade, exacerbated poverty, impeded education, and compromised gender equality, with middle to low income nations bearing the brunt of the burden. As many countries brace for another spike of the virus prompted by the highly contagious Delta variant, the world looks to the United Nations (UN) to ramp up comprehensive efforts to resolve the crisis, ensure better recovery, and rebuild sustainably. This is a daunting task that requires all hands on deck. It is time for the global body to welcome Taiwan — a valuable and worthy partner that stands ready to lend a helping hand.
Under pressure from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the UN and its specialised agencies continue to reject Taiwan, citing the 1971 UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 as a legal basis for this exclusion. But the language of the resolution is crystal clear: it merely addresses the issue of China’s representation in the UN; there is no mention of Chinese claims of sovereignty over Taiwan, nor does it authorise the PRC to represent Taiwan in the UN system. The fact is, the PRC has never governed Taiwan. By falsely equating the language of the resolution with Beijing’s “one China Principle,” the PRC is arbitrarily imposing its political views on the UN. Taiwanese passport holders are denied access to UN premises for tours and meetings, while Taiwanese journalists cannot obtain accreditation to cover UN events — a discriminatory treatment that contravenes the UN’s founding principles of promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
For six decades, Taiwan has been providing assistance to partner countries around the world. Since the adoption of the UN 2030 Agenda, it has focused on helping partners achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and, more recently, engage in anti-pandemic response and post-pandemic recovery. The World Happiness Report 2021 ranked Taiwan the happiest in East Asia and 24th in the world. Taiwan is actively charting a roadmap toward net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and has drafted dedicated legislation to facilitate this process. In his recent oath of office, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed that the UN and the states and people it serves can only benefit from bringing others to the table. Denying partners that have the ability to contribute is a moral and material loss to the world as we seek to recover better together. Taiwan is a force for good. Now is the time to bring Taiwan to the table and let Taiwan help.