Marshall Islands President Hida Haynie, bottom, speaks on Friday at United Nations Headquarters in New York City, addressing the 81st UN General Assembly.
Photo: Reuters
Appeal: How the United Nations handles Taiwan's security will be a test of its strength and relevance, Marshall Islands President Sheeda Haynie told the U.N. General Assembly.
Written by Fion Khan / Reporter, CNA
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Only Taiwan's democratically elected government can represent the Taiwanese people, Marshall Islands President Sheeda Haynie told the U.N. General Assembly on Friday, calling for the country's inclusion in the United Nations.
Taiwan and its 23 million people are a fact and only its democratically elected government can represent it, Heini said in a speech at the 81st general debate of the United Nations General Assembly.
If the United Nations is to be truly inclusive and effective in the coming years, it must find appropriate ways for Taiwan's substantive participation in U.N. meetings, she said.
UN member states will be under pressure to accept a false narrative that UN resolution 2758 provides a legal basis for coercion or war under the UN Charter, thereby compromising freedom of navigation in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, she said.
Resolution 2758, passed in 1971, states that the People's Republic of China (PRC) is the People's Republic of China's sole legitimate representative at the United Nations, allowing Beijing to replace the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan's official name, as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
"Every country in this chamber will probably be told that aggression or coercion against Taiwan is somehow justified by an ancient United Nations resolution that doesn't even mention Taiwan," she said.
Appeasement can never satisfy the aggressor's broader agenda, and one attempt is never enough, she said.
U.N. members may be told that "might makes right" and that it is futile for small countries to resist larger ones, she said.
“We will be asked politely and disrespectfully to look away and turn a blind eye,” she said, adding that how the United Nations handles this very real security dilemma will be a test of its strength and relevance.
Tuvalu Prime Minister Fetili Te'o also called for arrangements to enable Taiwan's 23.5 million people to participate meaningfully in the United Nations and its related agencies.
Taiwan has always proven itself to be a capable, trustworthy and constructive partner in addressing global challenges, and its exclusion weakens the spirit and effectiveness of multilateral cooperation, he said.
Tuvalu is deeply concerned about the escalation of military activity around the Taiwan Strait, which threatens stability across the Taiwan Strait, disrupts international traffic and trade, and jeopardizes peace and security in the Pacific and the wider region, he said.
Tuvalu praised Taiwan's calm and principled attitude in adhering to the values of the United Nations Charter, he said, urging all United Nations member states to uphold the same principles.
The general debate of the 81st United Nations General Assembly opened on September 8 and lasted from Tuesday last week to tomorrow.
Taiwan's three diplomatic allies - Paraguay, Swaziland and Palau - on Wednesday pushed for Taiwan to join the United Nations.
News source: Taipei Times
Tuvalu Prime Minister Fetili Theo spoke on Friday at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, attending the 81st UN General Assembly.
Photo: AP
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