TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Wednesday (May 15) proposed a resolution stating China “misused and misinterpreted” U.N. Resolution 2758, and misrepresented its contents to imply acceptance of Beijing's “one China” principle.
Republican Senator Jim Risch and Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee introduced the resolution to highlight their position that U.N. General Assembly Resolution 2758 does not signify global acceptance of Beijing's claims over Taiwan. Risch pointed out that Washington's “one China” policy is not equivalent to Beijing's “one China” principle.
“Chinese leaders know this, but spread this propaganda to deny Taiwan’s ability to engage with international organizations. This resolution sets the record straight. The United States can and should push back on China’s false narratives at every opportunity," said Risch.
Shaheen said the U.S. continues to be “committed to Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations and to a peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues.” He added that he is "proud to help introduce this bipartisan resolution that firmly pushes back on the PRC’s dangerous and disingenuous mischaracterization of U.N. Resolution 2758.”
The seven-page resolution emphasizes that Resolution 2758 does not address Taiwan's final political status, yet China claims it concerns Taiwan's sovereignty. It pointed out that countries supporting Resolution 2758 do not necessarily accept the “one-China” principle.
The resolution documents China's actions to limit Taiwan's international standing under the pretext of Resolution 2758, including isolating Taiwan, preventing its meaningful participation in U.N.-related agencies and other international forums, and successfully modifying U.N. historical documents to refer to Taiwan as “Taiwan, Province of China.”
In 2005, China's Ministry of Health signed a memorandum with the World Health Organization requiring communication with Taiwan to go through China. Two years later, then-U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also cited Resolution 2758 to reject Taiwan's U.N. membership bid.
The document says China uses Resolution 2758 as a means to “coerce, intimidate, or punish sovereign countries for engagement and partnership with Taiwan.”
The resolution opposes China's use of the “one-China” principle to force the U.S., Taiwan, and other countries to accept Beijing's claims over Taiwan. It supports Taiwan's diplomatic allies in maintaining official relations with Taiwan and urges countries worldwide to strengthen their partnerships with Taiwan.
In 1971, the U.N. General Assembly passed Resolution 2758, which declared the People's Republic of China as "the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations." Since then, Beijing has expanded this interpretation to mean that "Taiwan is a part of China" and thus does not need separate representation, preventing Taiwan from participating in U.N.-affiliated organizations and activities.
