Taiwan Public Policy Benefit, Taiwan Think Tank, and other units jointly held a symposium on September 11 to discuss the issue of “How Taiwan can enter the United Nations” and invited scholars and experts to analyze.
The moderator and Vice Executive Director of the Taiwan Think Tank, who also serves as the convener of the Taiwan Public Policy Benefit, Dong Siqi, stated that the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly has officially commenced, once again drawing global attention to the international order and collective security. In recent years, Taiwan has proven itself to be a responsible and trustworthy partner to the world, showing a firm determination to contribute to global development. Recently, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung wrote an article to various international media outlets with the theme “To ensure peace in the Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan must be included in the United Nations system,” expressing Taiwan’s view that for a safer and better world, Taiwan must be incorporated into the United Nations system.
Dong Siqi explained that the current United Nations system is stuck in a wrong dichotomy that requires a choice between China and Taiwan. It is time to reconsider the unfair policy of excluding Taiwan, and joining the United Nations is a desire for national identity and international status in the hearts of every Taiwanese. There is now an increasing number of Taiwanese youths actively participating in international organizations and advocating for international issues, demonstrating the global perspective and initiative of a new generation of Taiwanese. It is hoped that young friends can take on the role of promoting Taiwan’s internationalization and becoming a core force for Taiwan’s participation in the international community.
Professor Tan Wei-en of the International Politics Research Institute at Chung Hsing University pointed out, “Many people compare Taiwan with countries like North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Cyprus that have only recently joined the United Nations, hoping to find a path for Taiwan’s accession.” However, this often involves our misconceptions about the United Nations that need further clarification. Firstly, when these countries joined the United Nations, the opponents’ regional influence was not strong, unlike Taiwan’s significant impact from China, making it difficult to directly find solutions from these cases. Additionally, the common driving force for these countries to join the United Nations was the European Union, which differs from the development context of East Asian countries. Therefore, more detailed observations and analysis are still needed when making cross-country comparisons.
Legislator Chen Guanting emphasized that the most important aspect of Taiwan’s accession to the United Nations is to “internationalize the Taiwan issue,” making efforts to align the interests of like-minded countries with Taiwan’s interests and voicing Taiwan to the international community through appropriate channels to enhance the possibility of Taiwan joining the United Nations. “With the development of geopolitics, Taiwan’s overall influence in diplomacy, politics, economy, and technology is growing, giving Taiwan more opportunities to substantively participate in international organizations and bringing us closer to the United Nations.”
Associate Professor Lin Zili of the Department of Political Science at Donghai University stated, “The more successful Taiwan becomes, the more it highlights the dysfunction of international organizations. We should remind the world that Taiwan, excluded and isolated from international organizations, is not only economically prosperous, politically democratic, and culturally diverse but also effectively combatted the COVID-19 pandemic, which is a remarkable achievement.”
New Taipei City Councilor and Executive Director of the Taiwan United Nations Promotion Association, Chen Nai-yu, shared that she often has the opportunity to participate in “parliamentary diplomacy” and has heard American and Japanese legislators exclaim multiple times, “Are Taiwan’s legislators all so young? Are there so many women?” Chen Nai-yu believes that gender equality and youth participation in politics are demonstrations of Taiwan’s national strength, and we all have the opportunity to confidently walk the diplomatic path that belongs to Taiwan and work together to consolidate the national consensus within Taiwan.
Li Kexin, co-editor of U.S.-Taiwan Watch, stated, “Taiwan excels in human rights protection and technological development globally. As Asian voices are lacking in international governance, Taiwan can not only assist but also lead. We should step forward to contribute to the world.”
Zeus Chin, Secretary-General of the United Nations Promotion Association and Director of the Fuhao Association Youth Department, emphasized that the United Nations is a political arena as well as a battleground. If a conflict erupts in the Taiwan Strait, China will undoubtedly seek relevant resolutions through the United Nations, strongly advocating the legitimacy of invading Taiwan. Moreover, in the international community, the United Nations, like Taiwan’s “Legislative Yuan,” without representatives to voice the interests of the constituency, may jeopardize the rights of Taiwanese, and Taiwan’s achievements cannot be showcased in the United Nations, hindering Taiwan’s national strength and causing a loss to the entire international community.
Following the conclusion of the symposium, the moderator and youth participants raised questions on “Taiwan’s next steps in international participation,” “how to enter the United Nations system,” and “addressing the impact of global North-South confrontations.” The attendees engaged in in-depth analyses and responses to these questions.