Including Taiwan in the UN system will lead towards securing peace in the Indo-Pacific - opinion

Taiwan is an indispensable partner in global supply chains, producing more than 90% of the world’s high-end semiconductors and a significant portion of the advanced chips that are driving the AI revolution. Moreover, half of the world’s seaborne trade passes through the Taiwan Strait, making it a key international waterway.

Yet even though large parts of the world – and billions of people – have enjoyed great prosperity thanks to the peace and stability that prevails across the strait, China continues to intensify its aggressive actions against Taiwan. Beijing’s attempts to change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and expand authoritarianism throughout the Indo-Pacific region are a profound threat to peace and security worldwide.

In recent years, global leaders have used both bilateral and multilateral occasions – including G7, EU, NATO, and ASEAN meetings – to highlight the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. However, despite being aware of the importance of reducing tensions in the region, the United Nations has yet to take action to address the challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China or to incorporate Taiwan into the UN system. Now is the right time for the world body to evolve and to rethink its unjustified policies that exclude Taiwan.

The first and most urgent task that the UN must address is to stop succumbing to the PRC’s pressure and refrain from distorting the 1971 UN General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758 adopted any further. By willfully misrepresenting this resolution and falsely conflating it with its own “one China principle,” which differs from the “one China policy” adopted by many countries, the People’s Republic has relentlessly suppressed Taipei’s legitimate right to meaningfully participate in the UN and its specialized agencies.

This misrepresentation has far-reaching consequences beyond denying Taiwanese citizens and journalists access to UN premises. In fact, Beijing’s tactic is to weaponize Resolution 2758 to spread the fallacy that Taiwan is part of the PRC. 

Yet, contrary to Beijing’s false claims, the resolution merely addresses the issue of China’s representation in the UN, and does not mention Taiwan. It neither states that the archipelago nation to its southeast is part of the PRC nor ascribes to it any right to represent Taiwan in the UN system. Beijing’s false claims will not only alter the status quo across the Taiwan Strait but also jeopardize peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and threaten the rules-based international order.

THANKFULLY, in recent months, several senior US officials have criticized the PRC’s distortion in the UN. Furthermore, on July 30, the international Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China demonstrated concrete support for Taiwan and stressed that the UN must return to and encourage a correct interpretation of Resolution 2758 and explore means of resisting Beijing’s aggressive ambitions.

The PRC’s expansionism will not stop with Taiwan. Recent regulations introduced by the China Coast Guard are part of a broader gray-zone tactic designed to reinforce China’s ambition to assert control over international waters and challenge global norms and claims. To ensure global peace and economic stability, the UN and the international community must not only reaffirm their concerns about Beijing’s coercive behavior but also work together to prevent its unlawful schemes.

Democratic resolve must be demonstrated ahead of time

History has shown that democratic resolve must be demonstrated ahead of time – before it is too late. As the world’s foremost forum for international cooperation, the UN system is ideally positioned to address regional security challenges and support global economic stability. The upcoming 79th UNGA and its Summit of the Future present a timely opportunity to address key security concerns while advancing the broader goals of global sustainable development and building a more resilient global community for current and future generations.

Over many decades, Taiwan has proven to be a responsible and reliable partner to those it has worked with. More recently, we have also made significant contributions to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Embracing Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the UN system would undoubtedly be the world body’s best option for mitigating any potential regional crisis, maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and spurring global prosperity.

Looking ahead, Taiwan will continue to play its part. Working with like-minded countries to maintain healthy and resilient global supply chains – particularly in the semiconductor industry – Taiwan is determined to help power the world forward for many more decades to come.

For a more secure and better world, the UN system needs to include Taiwan.

The writer is Taiwan’s foreign minister.