A United States representative to the United Nations on Wednesday criticized the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for “misusing” a 1971 U.N. resolution to exclude the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan) from the international organization, for which Taiwan’s government expressed its gratitude.
The criticism was issued by Ting Wu, deputy political counselor of the United States Mission to the United Nations, during a U.N. Security Council meeting convened by the PRC on Wednesday U.S. time at U.N. headquarters in New York, according to a transcript issued by the mission.
Citing the Concept Note of the round of meeting titled “The Impact of Unilateralism and Bullying Practices on International Relations” which called for opposition to “all forms of unilateralism and bullying,” Wu said the U.S. is critical of China’s “misuse of U.N. General Assembly Resolution 2758,” according to the transcript.
Wu spoke of China’s “misuse of U.N. General Assembly Resolution 2758 in its attempts to isolate Taiwan, mischaracterize other countries’ policies, and constrain their choices.”
“This resolution does not preclude Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the U.N. system and other multilateral fora,” Wu said, according to the transcript.
“Working closely with our allies and partners, the United States will continue to counter Beijing’s goals of embedding its authoritarian principles here at the United Nations,” Wu added.
In response to Wu’s comments, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Thursday expressed Taipei’s gratitude to Washington over the Taiwan-friendly statement.
This is the first time the U.S. has raised the issue during a U.N. Security Council meeting, MOFA said in a press release.
The last time the Donald Trump administration criticized the PRC’s misuse of the U.N. resolution was in February during the World Health Organization’s 156th session of the Executive Board, MOFA noted.
Resolution 2758 was adopted by the 26th U.N. General Assembly in 1971 to address the issue of China’s representation at the international body.
It resulted in the ROC, Taiwan’s official name, losing its seat at the U.N. to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from participating in the international organization and its affiliates, as it is not recognized by the U.N. and a majority of its member states as a country.
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