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The Government of Taiwan requested this Wednesday to be able to participate in the UN General Assembly to be held between September 13 and 26, presenting itself as a “beacon of democracy in Asia.”
The request was transmitted in a communiqué distributed worldwide, and has little chance of success due to the veto of China, which since 1971 has occupied the seat previously held by Taiwan on behalf of the “Republic of China,” the official name of the island-state.
Taiwan frequently calls for its return to the UN and international institutions, but the lack of international support —only fourteen countries recognize it as a state— makes it difficult for its return to materialize.
This year, the Taipei government recalls its work to provide humanitarian support to the countries hardest hit by COVID-19 and later by the war in Ukraine, and stresses that it has sent more than 550 tons of food to the Ukrainian people, plus $40 million for war refugees.
Other arguments deployed by Taiwan this year are that it is the 22nd largest economy in the world (in GDP), the largest producer of semiconductors, and also a victim of “China’s increasing rhetorical and military intimidation.”
With this, the statement refers to the military maneuvers carried out by China in the Strait of Formosa after the visit to the island of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, a trip that Beijing interpreted as a clear gesture of hostility by the government of Joe Biden.
With its call to participate in the General Assembly, Taiwan (23.5 million inhabitants) does not aspire to replace Beijing as the representative of the Chinese people, but to gain recognition and visibility in the two weeks of greatest visibility in the international community.
