Taiwan's attempt to split China foiled in UN 59th General Assembly session

The General Assembly has, for the 12th consecutive time, thwarted Taiwan's attempt to join the world inter-governmental body composed of sovereign states.

The decision was announced by Jean Ping, president of the current session of the UN General Assembly, after a long debate on the issue, raised by Chad and a few other countries.

Delegates from 93 countries addressed the General Committee session in favor of China's position not to consider the issue, including those from Russia, France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Nigeria and Indonesia.

In their speech, delegates from many countries expressed the belief that there is no such issue as Taiwan's representation in the UN, as Resolution 2758 has solved the issue of UN representation for China, which includes Taiwan. Many said that raising the issue of Taiwan's representation in the UN constituted a violation of UN Charter and an interference in China's internal affairs.

Some noted that despite a clear decision of the General Assembly more than 34 years ago, the repetitious and wasteful debate has consumed the assembly's valuable time and energy which should have been devoted to more substantive issues and expressed the hope this is the last time the General Committee would discuss the issue.

Speaking to reporters after the session, Wang Guangya said the outcome testified once more to the fact that one-China policy has been the consensus of the international community and any attempts by a handful of elements who advocate "Taiwan's independence" to create "two Chinas," "one China, one Taiwan" is unpopular and boomed to failure.

Chinese Permanent Representative to the United Nations Wang Guangya on Wednesday, Sept. 15, strongly condemned the act of a very few countries which had once again raised the issue of so-called "Taiwan's participation in the UN" this year.

Since 1993, the Taiwan authority has goaded annually a small handful of countries to raise such proposals to the UN General Assembly, but those proposals all ended in failure, the spokesman said.

Any actions breaching the tenet of the UN Charter and the Resolution 2758 of the UN General Assembly, or challenging the one-China principle universally acknowledged by the international community will absolutely not supported by the vast majority of UN member countries, and will not be consented by the 1.3 billion Chinese including the compatriots in Taiwan, Kong said.

"The Taiwan authority should stop such political tricks and come back to the one-China principle," Kong said.

China condemns gross encroachment

"The purpose of such an act is nothing but to create 'two Chinas', 'one China, one Taiwan' in the United Nations," Wang said in a statement at the General Committee of the 59th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

"This not only completely runs counter to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the UNGA resolution 2758, but also constitutes a brazen challenge to the one-China principle widely recognized by the international community," he said.

Wang said: "The Chinese government and people strongly condemn and firmly oppose such a gross encroachment on China's internal affairs."

Wang reiterated the following five points:

Firstly, Taiwan has been an inseparable part of China's territory since antiquity. There is but one China in the world, and the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. This is an objective reality that cannot be changed by anybody.

Secondly, the issue of China's representation in the UN was long solved once and for all in political, legal and procedural terms. Resolution 2758 adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971 recognized unequivocally that the representatives of the government of the People's Republic of China are the only legitimate representatives of China to the UN. Since Taiwan is part of China, China's representation in the UN naturally includes Taiwan. Therefore, there is simply no such issue as the so-called "Taiwan's representation in the UN."

Thirdly, the General Committee of the successive sessions of the General Assembly since 1993 have all flatly refused to include the so-called issue of "Taiwan's participation in the UN" in the agenda of the General Assembly. This has fully demonstrated the determination of the vast number of UN member states to safeguard the UN Charter and UNGA resolution 2758. It also shows the Taiwan authorities are doomed to failure in their attempt to split China by raising the so-called issue of "Taiwan's participation in the UN".

Fourthly, adherence to the one-China principle is the basis for the development of cross-strait relations and the realization of peaceful reunification. The Chinese government has stated repeatedly that on the basis of one China, any topic can be discussed between the two sides across the Strait. "To safeguard state sovereignty and territorial integrity and realize complete reunification of the motherland at an early date is the common aspiration and strong will of the 1.3 billion Chinese people, including our Taiwan compatriots. Nobody nor any force can change or stop it."

Fifthly, China appreciates the just position adopted by the vast number of UN member states in abiding by the one-China principle and believes that the General Committee of the 59th session of the General Assembly will, as always, refuse once again to include the so-called issue of "Taiwan's participation in the UN" in the agenda of the General Assembly.