Taiwan Defies U.S., Seeks U.N. Membership Under Debated Name
By Edward Cody
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, July 21, 2007; Page A09
BEIJING, July 21 -- Brushing aside warnings from the Bush administration, the Taiwanese government of President
Chen Shui-bian announced Friday that it has applied for
U.N. membership under the name
Taiwan.
Chen's move, the latest tactic in a long campaign to promote Taiwan's sovereignty, drew an immediate condemnation from mainland
China, which has vowed to use force if necessary to prevent the self-ruled island from acquiring formal independence.
"We resolutely oppose it and will keep a close eye on development of the issue," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement relayed by the official
New China News Agency. "The Taiwan authorities' attempt to split China absolutely will not succeed."
The decision by Chen to apply for U.N. membership under the name Taiwan seemed destined to have little practical effect. The island, which lies 100 miles off mainland China's southern rim, has failed repeatedly to gain admittance under its current official name, Republic of China, because the U.N. seat for China has belonged to the mainland since 1971.
But the symbolic power of Chen's gesture seemed likely to raise tensions in the Taiwan Strait. China has never recognized Taiwan as an independent country and has pledged to return the island to
Beijing's rule ever since Chiang Kai-shek fled there with his Nationalist forces in 1949.
In addition, the application seemed likely to irritate officials in the Bush administration, who have been trying to persuade Chen to avoid provocative moves at a time when Washington is preoccupied with the war in
Iraq. The United States, Taiwan's chief ally, has promised to help defend it against any use of force by mainland China but has vigorously discouraged Chen from taking steps to disrupt the status quo.
In exchanges among China, the United States and Taiwan, altering the island's official name has been defined as a change in the status quo.
But Chen Chi-mai, deputy secretary general of President Chen's office, indicated that the president was in no mood to hold back to avoid offending China or irritating Washington as he heads toward the end of his second four-year term in May. He portrayed the government's independence policy in its starkest terms:
"Deputy Secretary General Chen emphasized that Taiwan is a sovereign, independent country," said a statement from the president's office. "Neither Taiwan nor China is subject to the other's jurisdiction. Moreover, Taiwan has never been part of China. This is the status quo."
The deputy secretary said the formal application was handed to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon on Thursday in
New York, according to the statement. He said President Chen made the decision to go forward because it represented the will of Taiwan's 23 million inhabitants. A U.N. official in New York confirmed Ban had received the application but said it probably will go nowhere.
The statement made no mention of plans for a referendum on the issue in the spring, a step that President Chen in a recent interview depicted as a necessary exercise in democracy. Instead, the communique said, the president decided to go ahead now because earlier applications under the name Republic of China had proved fruitless and "have not been accorded the international attention they deserve."
Staff writer Colum Lynch at the United Nations contributed to this report.
Taiwan Defies U.S., Seeks U.N. Membership Under Debated Name
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