President to start United Nations bid soon: Vice President

Lu made the revelation about the plan for the latest UN bid while again criticizing Wu Tzu-dan, former ambassador to Costa Rica, for the country’s breaking of formal relations with Taiwan and switching recognition to Beijing in early June.

She said that President Chen already had the information before Costa Rica took the action of shifting diplomatic allegiance to Beijing, while Wu was still in the dark.

Lu revealed earlier that her open criticism of Wu had invited a “warning letter” from someone who claimed to be “an elder of Wu.”

The letter cited Wu as an outstanding diplomat, and that Lu should not launch criticism against the envoy.

Costa Rica, a Central American nation with some 4 million inhabitants, established diplomatic ties with Taiwan as early as in 1944.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) officials blamed China for spending an astronomical amount of money to get Costa Rica to shift diplomatic allegiance.

President Chen conceded that Taiwan cannot afford the costly “checkbook diplomacy” battle with China forever.

Vice President Lu said she plans no legal actions against Wu or the sender of the warning letter.

Wu, a career diplomat, formerly served as vice foreign minister and chairman of the Coordination Council for North American Affairs which was established to handle Taiwan-U.S. relations in the absence of official ties.

While meeting with reporters, the vice president revealed that President Chen should soon file application for the UN membership.

There should be a much tougher second-phase action for the whole plan — holding a national referendum on the UN bid to proclaim Taiwan’s sovereignty, according to her.

Lu said the second step is more difficult due to the lack of consensus between the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the opposition camp.

The DPP has started an islandwide campaign to support the UN referendum.

The party urged the public to take part in an upcoming second-phase signature drive for the DPP initiative to hold a referendum on the country’s bid to apply to join the UN under the name of “Taiwan.”

The initiative, already sponsored by more than 90,000 signatories, will help pave the way for Taiwan’s transformation toward a “normal country” and “blaze a viable trail for Taiwan in the international arena,” claimed DIP Chairman Du Shy-bun.

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