Taipei - Taiwan said Friday it has changed tact in its
United Nations membership bid by seeking to access special
organizations of the global body instead.
'The motion raised by our allies this year is to urge the UN
assembly to propose that its special organizations accept the
meaningful participation of Taiwan and its 23 million people in their
respective bodies and activities,' said Vice Foreign Minister Hsia
Li-yan in a news conference in Taipei.
Instead of seeking to join the United Nations as it has done every
year since 1993, Hsia said it would be more practical for the island
to join the UN special organizations, including the World Health
Organisation.
He said 17 of Taiwan's 23 diplomatic allies submitted the motion
to the UN General Assembly Thursday as a provisional agenda for
review in next month's assembly in New York.
Taiwan will accept using any title, including Chinese-Taipei, in
order to gain accession to those special bodies. 'But of course, we
will not consider the 'China's Taipei' title,' he added.
The United Nations ousted Taipei to accept Beijing as the sole
representative of the China seat in the global body in 1971.
Taiwan and China split at the end of a civil war in 1949, but
Beijing has considered the island an integral part of the mainland
that must be brought back to its fold, if necessary by force.
Taiwan decided in 1993 to seek to rejoin the global body, but all
efforts have been in vain due to objection of China.
Last August, the pro-independence government of then-president
Chen Shui-bian attempted to use the unofficial 'Taiwan' title to
apply to join the UN, only to provoke Beijing, which pressured the UN
Secretariat to return the application letter even before it could
make it to the General Assembly.
Taiwan's new government, led by China-friendly President Ma
Ying-jeou, has decided to use a softer approach in order not to
repeat the fate of the previous government, Hsia said.
Thinking that China is the key to Taiwan's participation in global
affairs, Ma has tried hard to improve relations with Beijing and
resumed talks with the mainland in June. He has called for a
diplomatic truce with China.
USA
Your Talkback on this Story