Taiwan calls on international community to support its participation in the UN

Taiwan is appealing to the international community to support its participation in the 77th United Nations (UN) General Assembly, which runs from 13 to 26 September in New York, from which Taiwan is excluded due to pressure from China, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Madrid, Spain, has said in an official communiqué.

The statement from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office is reproduced below:

This year, the Taiwanese Government puts the focus on showing the international community that, as a beacon of democracy in Asia and a force for good in the world, Taiwan is a valuable partner that can help overcome global challenges now facing the world, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the fight against climate change, supply chain disruptions and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan has distinguished itself by providing humanitarian support to countries in need. Also after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, it has delivered more than 550 tons of relief supplies to the Ukrainian people, in addition to making donations of more than USD 40 million for war refugees.

On climate change, Taiwan is committed to combating climate change with a plan for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and the implementation of policies to help achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. 

As the world's 22nd largest economy in terms of GDP and the world's largest semiconductor producer, Taiwan plays a key role in global supply chains. And as a defender of democracy, Taiwan works to safeguard the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and the rules-based international order.

Now more than ever, China's escalating rhetorical and military intimidation, intensified by its military exercises around Taiwan, is endangering regional peace and stability, with a consequent impact on the security and well-being of the world. For this reason, the Taiwan Government would like to remind the UN that all people, including the people of Taiwan, deserve to be heard and to be part of the collaborative effort to address such challenges.

As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan will also work together with like-minded countries to defend peace and stability in the region, fulfilling its international responsibilities, actively engaging and contributing to the international community.

To deny participation in the UN to those who have the capacity to contribute is a moral and material loss to the world, and it is therefore necessary for the UN to see Taiwan for what it is: a valuable and worthy partner, willing and able to cooperate with and contribute to international society.

Therefore, the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) believes that now is the time for the UN to welcome Taiwan and, in fairness to the 23.5 million Taiwanese, to give it its rightful place in this international organisation so that all countries can work together for the global good.