Taiwan Just Asked the Philippines to Support Its UN Aspirations

As world leaders descend on New York City to participate at the 77th United Nations General Assembly, Taiwan has asked the Philippines for help so other nations may recognize it and hear its voice on the international stage. 

In a statement, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines Representative Peiyung Hsu asked the Philippines to support Taiwan’s aspiration of contributing to international initiatives. 

“As close neighbors and maritime nations, Taiwan and the Philippines uphold the values of freedom, democracy, and the rules-based international order. Taiwan and the Philippines enjoy longtime cordial people-to-people relations. We sincerely hope that our Filipino brothers and sisters could continue to voice their support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the U.N. system,” Hsu said

“In promoting post-pandemic recovery and reconnecting the world, now is the best time for the UN to reconnect with Taiwan. Taiwan aspires to contribute. The 23.5 million resilient Taiwanese people surely should be included for the global good… At this juncture, it is worth reminding these leaders that all people – including the people of Taiwan – deserve to have their voices heard and efforts included for the global good,” he added. 

“A beacon of democracy in Asia and a force for good in the world, Taiwan is a reliable and valuable partner and Taiwan is committed to implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and combating climate change with a blueprint for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050,” Hsu said. 

The United Nations implements the One China Policy, which asserts there is only one official country under the name “China.” Both the governments in Taipei and Beijing assert themselves as the rightful leaders of China. Taiwan was once recognized as a sovereign state and had a seat in the United Nations until it was kicked out in 1971 in favor of China.

The majority of the world’s countries maintain relations with Taiwan, even though it is technically considered a part of China. The United States—Taiwan’s most powerful strategic ally—recognizes the One China Policy in principle, but maintains military agreements with Taiwan. It provides missiles and other hardware to the island to defend against possible attacks from the mainland.

But according to Hsu, the One China Policy is causing confusion. 

“By deliberately conflating its ‘One China’ principle with the UNGA Resolution 2758 — the resolution that determined who represents ‘China’ in the organization some 50 years ago—Beijing is misleading the world by spreading the fallacy that Taiwan is part of the PRC,” he said.

China’s Charm Offensives 

Since 1971, China has been working the diplomatic networks to persuade countries to drop their recognition of Taiwan as an independent state. Today, very few countries have official diplomatic ties with Taiwan. 

In 2019, China managed to persuade Kiribati and the Solomons—two island nations near the Philippines—to drop relations with Taiwan. The switching of sides was lubricated using economic carrots. 

Today, a string of small island nations remain as the last diplomatic allies of Taiwan. They are the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, and Tuvalu. 

The Philippines maintains informal relations with Taiwan through the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Makati. This functions as Taiwan's de facto consular office or embassy.