I tried to make some research on Taiwan and this is what I pulled out. I
guess because it is counted as part of China, it is still called the Repubice
of China. This is in correction to my previous fwd./posting on the
President's speech.
Foreign Ministry’s press release on the ROC’s 8th bid to participate in the
United Nations
Published: August 4, 2000
Source: Republic of China Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Representatives of Republic of Senegal, Grenada, Republic of the Gambia,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic
of Nicaragua, Kingdom of Swaziland, Solomon Islands, Republic of Nauru,
Burkina Faso, Republic of Malawi, and Republic of Honduras to the United
Nations jointly submitted a proposal to the UN Secretary General on August 3
EST, requesting the UN to set up a working group to examine the exceptional
international situation pertaining to the Republic of China on Taiwan, and to
ensure the right of its 23 million people to participate in the United
Nations and its related agencies.
The aforementioned Representatives submitted a joint letter to the UN
Secretary General requesting the inclusion of a proposal as a supplementary
item in the agenda of the 55th plenary session of the General Assembly in
September. The proposal bears the title “Need to examine the exceptional
international situation pertaining to the Republic of China on Taiwan, to
ensure that the fundamental right of its twenty-three million people to
participate in the work and activities of the United Nations is fully
respected”. An explanatory memorandum with the proper justification for the
proposal is attached to the joint letter. The memorandum begins with a
statement on the fact that Tuvalu’s admission to the United Nations later
this year will leave the Republic of China the only country in the world that
remains excluded from the United Nations. It further indicates that the ROC
and the PRC have coexisted for more than 50 years on their respective sides
of the Taiwan Strait, with neither subject to the other’s rule. However, the
UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 (XXVI) failed to address this reality.
The ROC has been excluded from all UN activities, and even been blocked in
participating in non-governmental international activities. The proposal also
mentions the presidential election in May 2000 and the first peaceful
transfer of political power in ROC history. The ROC has been playing an
active role in international cooperation programs and humanitarian relief
operations, and is willing to integrate itself into the international human
rights system spearheaded by the UN. Furthermore, the ROC has continuously
expressed its good faith to the PRC so as to improve cross-strait relations.
The ROC government believes that its participation in the UN would enable the
both sides to work and cooperate in the UN and its related agencies, and thus
gradually build mutual trust and accelerate the peace process in Taiwan
Strait. At the same time, the UN could live up to its principle of
universality and achieve its goal of preventive diplomacy by accepting ROC’s
participation.
The ROC government has repeatedly stressed that its bid for UN representation
is not intended to challenge the PRC’s membership in the UN. However, the PRC
must acknowledge that Taiwan is a full-fledged democratic society today.
Threats and intimidation can only do harm to the feelings of the people on
both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Only when the PRC acknowledges the existence
of the ROC on Taiwan can cross-strait relations develop in a positive
direction and in a mutually beneficial way. The ROC government is convinced
that with the ROC and the PRC working together for global peace, security and
prosperity within the UN, the family of all nations, can build up their
mutual trust and further create a bright, reciprocal and win-win vision for
both sides.
The ROC government sincerely appreciates the aforesaid friendly countries’
action in support of its effort to seek UN participation, which is in
accordance with the spirit of the UN Charter. Meanwhile, the ROC urges other
UN member states to seriously consider the legitimacy case of the ROC in
claiming the fundamental right of its 23 million people to participate in the
UN. The ROC calls on UN member states to support the setting up of a working
group under the UN General Assembly to address this issue. Only by doing so
can the voice of the 23 million people of the ROC be heard, and its potential
peace, humanitarian assistance and economic cooperation be fully realized.
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