Chen: Blocking United Nations bid ‘a step backward’

“Taiwan is an independent sovereign state, whose sovereignty is vested in its 23 million citizens,” said Chen. “Denying Taiwan’s rights to participate in the United Nations and threatening Taiwan’s survival in the international community are by no means a sign of progress in history, but rather, a giant step backward for civilization.”

According to President Chen, Taiwan’s application for U.N. membership should have been reviewed and decided upon by the Security Council and the General Assembly.

“However, my letter was returned,” said Chen, who added that the U.N. Secretariat has neither the authority nor power to decide on such matters.

Since last July, President Chen has sent three successive application letters to join the U.N. under the name of “Taiwan” to U.N. authorities. However, Chen three times received the same reply based on U.N. Resolution 2758, stating that “Taiwan is part of the Republic of China.”

“In fact, Taiwan was not mentioned in the Resolution, which was adopted on October 25, 1971,” said Chen. “The Resolution neither called Taiwan a province of the PRC nor acknowledged China’s claim over the sovereignty of Taiwan,” he said.

President Chen also said that he understands the concerns of the U.S. regarding the planned referendum, but Chen said that he believes the voice of 23 million people of Taiwan should be heard in the international arena.

“[Taiwan and China] are two different countries, and we have the right and authority to become members of the U.N.,” said Chen. “But, we have not announced independence, changed the name of the country, or altered the Constitution.”

Using the name “Taiwan” to apply for U.N. membership does not make the government a troublemaker, he said, as “40 percent of U.N. members do not use their country’s official name in the U.N.”

Taipei’s referendum plan has caused increasing friction with Washington, which fears that it could escalate cross-strait tension. In a speech on Tuesday, Thomas J. Christensen, U.S. deputy assistant secretary for East Asia, said that the planned referendum was a step apparently intended to change the status quo.

He also said Taiwan’s security is linked to the avoidance of needlessly provocative behavior, given Beijing’s threat to use force against the island. Responsible leadership in Taipei has to anticipate potential Chinese red lines and reactions, Christensen said.

The president then urged members of the European Parliament to stand up against the Chinese government’s acts of intimidation.

“The problem does not lie in the 1.3 billion people of China but in the leadership of the Communist Party,” said Chen. The President thus claimed that it will be difficult to make progress in the cross-strait relationship until after China becomes a democracy.

“Seven years ago, there were only 200 missiles pointed toward Taiwan, but now it has increased five-fold,” said Chen.

President Chen however said that Taiwan would not block economic cooperation with China, but instead push for more active management.

“If India and Japan can become democracies, why can’t China also succeed?” Chen asked rhetorically to the seven European Parliament members, who replied that he should act with caution while dealing with China.

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