Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 24, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi made false claims regarding Taiwan’s sovereignty, willfully misrepresenting UNGA Resolution 2758 and connecting it to the so-called “one China principle” in an attempt to create the illusion that Taiwan is subordinate to the People’s Republic of China and excuse China’s recent provocative behavior toward Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) condemns in the strongest possible terms Wang Yi’s lies, which distort historical facts, deliberately muddy the reality of the situation, and mislead his international audience.
MOFA solemnly reiterates that UNGA Resolution 2758 only addresses the issue of China’s representation in the United Nations. At no point does the text of the resolution mention Taiwan, nor does it ascribe to the People’s Republic of China any right to represent Taiwan in the United Nations system or say that Taiwan is a part of the People’s Republic of China. China continues to make distorted and incorrect political interpretations of this historical UN document and link such absurd claims to its so-called “one China principle,” which has not obtained international consensus. China has long exercised undue influence over the UN system, doing all it can to exclude Taiwan and the Taiwanese people from participating and obstruct opportunities for Taiwan to contribute to the international community.
The Republic of China (Taiwan) is a free and democratic nation. It is an internationally recognized, long-standing, and objective fact that neither democratic Taiwan nor authoritarian China is subordinate to the other. This is the prevailing situation across the Taiwan Strait. The People’s Republic of China has never governed Taiwan, and Taiwan is not a part of the People’s Republic of China. Only Taiwan’s democratically elected government has the right to represent Taiwan’s 23.5 million people in the UN system and elsewhere on the international stage. The Chinese Communist Party has never ruled Taiwan and has no right to speak on Taiwan’s behalf.
The UN Charter explicitly states that maintaining international peace and stability is one of the UN’s purposes and principles, and it prohibits the use of force in resolving disputes. China has recently continued to escalate its military intimidation against Taiwan, engaging in numerous kinds of aggressive, unilateral actions, including military exercises in the waters surrounding Taiwan and having military aircraft and vessels cross the median line of the Taiwan Strait. This is undermining the status quo of peace across the Taiwan Strait and endangering the security of the Indo-Pacific region. China’s various actions have clearly violated the spirit of the UN Charter and associated provisions. And yet, despite its threatening language, China sanctimoniously speaks about loving peace at the UNGA. In reality, it is China, an expansionist, authoritarian regime, that is unilaterally attempting to alter both the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and regional peace and stability.
China’s recent provocative actions in and around the Taiwan Strait have aroused grave concern around the world. During the General Assembly, Taiwan’s diplomatic allies and such like-minded nations as the United States have publicly expressed concern for peace across the Taiwan Strait and opposition to any unilateral change in the status quo, calling for the necessity of abiding by the UN Charter. Taiwan will continue to work with the community of democratic nations to halt authoritarian expansion and aggression and safeguard the rules-based international order and the free and open Indo-Pacific. (E)
