2026.7.15
On July 14, during the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), St. Kitts and Nevis presented its Voluntary National Review (VNR), highlighting Taiwan’s contributions. Subsequently, the statement delivered by the Representative of the Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to the United Nations, in response to the VNR presentation, wrongfully claimed sovereignty over Taiwan and deliberately mischaracterized the meaning of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, maliciously associating it to its so-called “One China Principle.” Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York (TECO-NY) strongly refutes this erroneous statement and reiterates its position as follows:
1. UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 does not mention Taiwan. It only addresses the issue of China’s representation in the UN. The resolution does not state that Taiwan is a part of the PRC. The PRC cannot represent Taiwan’s 23.5 million people in the UN system. Only Taiwan’s democratically elected government can duly represent its people in the UN system and international community. The government of the PRC has no say in this regard. The Republic of China (Taiwan) is an independent sovereign state. Taiwan has never been part of the PRC. It is the internationally recognized objective reality as well as the status quo that neither democratic Taiwan nor communist China is subordinate to the other.
2. Member States have the right to decide which countries they would like to engage with. China’s deliberate imposition of its fictitious “One China principle” on international organizations and other countries infringes upon their sovereignty and political independence. Such attempts to manipulate the international narrative and acts of bullying will only lead to further resentment from the Taiwanese people and the global community.
3. Taiwan is an indispensable global partner in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. As a force for good, Taiwan’s contributions are widely recognized and commended by the international community. Seeking meaningful participation in the UN system and contributing to the international community are the shared expectations of the people of Taiwan. Not only has the PRC’s distortion of Resolution 2758 long deprived Taiwan of the right to participate in the international community, but it has also denied the international community an opportunity to benefit from Taiwan’s contributions. TECO-NY condemns these attempts by the PRC to limit Taiwan’s international participation, which violates the UN principle of universality and contradicts the spirit of “leaving no one behind.”
