China cuts in to oppose Taiwan's UNFCCC bid

Unlike the heads of states or ministers of Republic of China allies who took the meeting's podium to voice their support for Taiwan's inclusion in the global response to climate change, the Chinese official merely signaled his opposition from his seat in the audience.

Citing Beijing's "one China principle" as the reason for his opposition, he said those nations' initiatives in favor of Taiwan's bid to join the UNFCCC as an observer have "hurt the feelings of the 1.3 billion Chinese people."

Altogether, nine of Taiwan's diplomatic allies had voiced support for Taiwan's UNFCCC bid over the past two days in Copenhagen -- Palau, St. Lucia, Kiribati, Burkina Faso, Swaziland, Sao Tome and Principe, Saint Christopher and Nevis and The Gambia, as well as Nicaragua.

Gambian Vice President Isatou Njie-Saidy spoke to support Taiwan's cause. She cited Taiwan's admission into the World Health Assembly -- the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO) -- as an observer in May this year as an "acceptable precedence, of course applicable to other international fora, in this case the UNFCCC, with climate change affecting no doubt all members of the international community and humans everywhere."

"Taiwan as a member of the global family therefore should be part of all United Nations-related mechanisms, for the sake of justice and fairness," she added.

Soon after Njie-Saidy's speech, the Chinese official was allowed by the meeting's chair to make a brief statement from his seat.

Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Samuel Santos Lopez followed the Chinese official's statement to express Nicaragua's support for Taiwan's UNFCCC bid.

The meeting had proceeded until nearly 3 a.m. Friday as of press time.

Taiwan has called on the UNFCCC to consider the need for the country to participate in climate change discussions as it is especially vulnerable to extreme weather conditions, rising temperatures, unpredictable storms and loss of biodiversity.

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