7 National Day Address. Vice President Lu, Presidents of the Five Yuans, Ministers, Distinguished Guests, Esteemed Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen:
A Happy Double Ten and greetings to you all!
On this very special occasion of our Double Ten National Day, we are gathered under one roof to celebrate our past accomplishments, reflect on our past shortcomings, and meditate in earnest on the course of Taiwan‘s future development.
You will note that the reviewing stand erected in front of the Presidential Office is different from past years in that it is adorned with a giant banner reading “UN for Taiwan, Peace Forever.” This message signifies that our quest to gain entry into the UN will not be abandoned simply because of momentary setbacks. The Government of Taiwan will continue to pursue that goal with unwavering determination.
Sovereign nation
Taiwan is a sovereign nation. Its sovereignty rests in the hands of its 23 million people. Only the people of Taiwan have the right to decide their nation‘s future. United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, passed on October 25, 1971, neither defined Taiwan as a part of the People‘s Republic of China nor affirmed the proposition that the People‘s Republic of China has any right to sovereignty over Taiwan. Taiwan and the People‘s Republic of China are two sovereign, independent nations, and neither exercises jurisdiction over the other. This is a historical fact. This is the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.
The People‘s Republic of China has neither the right nor the ability to represent the 23 million people of Taiwan. Our people have the right to demand appropriate representation in the United Nations. We have the right to apply for admission to the UN as a new member under the name “Taiwan.”
In the past, we have joined Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) under the name “Chinese Taipei,” and the World Trade Organization (WTO) using the name “Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu.” Though dissatisfied with this state of affairs, we have reluctantly accepted it in view of practical international realities.
Before 1971, the United Nations was beset with quarreling over the right to represent China. Hence, if we were to once more demand restoration of our UN representation under the name “Republic of China,” it would not only constitute a direct challenge to Resolution 2758 but cause us to fall back into the anachronistic mentality of belief in “one China” and Chiang Kai-shek‘s dictum “Gentlemen do not stand with thieves” [i.e. there can be no conciliation with usurpers]. We would succeed only in making ourselves outcasts in the international community and exacerbating the dangers of isolation.
UN membership
That we have applied for new UN membership under the name “Taiwan” indicates that we do not intend to challenge Resolution 2758 of the UN General Assembly. Nor do we wish to compete with the People‘s Republic of China for the right to represent China.
This year has seen our first application for UN membership under the name “Taiwan,” and although, as expected, our hopes were not realized, Taiwan‘s membership bid gave rise to unprecedented discussion of the issue in the General Assembly. Representatives of some 140 of the 192 UN member states registered to speak on the question of whether Taiwan‘s application should be included on this year‘s General Assembly agenda, and the debate lasted for over four hours. Moreover, media reports on our UN bid were more than four times as many as in last year.
This all goes to show that this year‘s efforts to join the UN have been a diplomatic success, and have greatly raised Taiwan‘s visibility in the international community.
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