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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