Questions | Syracuse | Chinese Communities
China Divided: The Status of Taiwan
Document 7
Vocabulary
Deprived: Stripped, dispossessed.
Regime: System of government.
Universality: Applying to all.
Demographically: Relating to the study of population statistics.
Democratization: Making a government by the people or their elected representatives.
Humanitarian: Having the welfare of mankind at heart.
Twenty-two years have passed since the Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan was deprived of its membership in the United Nations in 1971. Since then, many people have claimed that the issue of 'China representation' has been resolved. But what about the 21 million Chinese of the Republic of China on Taiwan? Have they been abandoned by the United Nations? Though the Chinese Communist regime now controls the mainland and rules the 1.1 billion people there, it cannot represent the Chinese living in the islands of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu because it has never ruled these places. Neglecting this population and its government is a gross violation of the human rights and universality of membership principles which the United Nations upholds.
The current population and economic power of the Republic of China on Taiwan clearly qualify us for a place within the global context. Demographically, our population of 21 million is greater than that of two-thirds of the current U.N. member nations. In terms of economic performance and financial capability, the ROC has the second largest foreign exchange reserve holdings in the world, is the 14th largest trading nation, and ranks ninth in total overseas investment. These statistics represent an economic power to be reckoned with in the international economic system. Moreover, the ROC is fact approaching the world's advanced nations in the field of political democratization and also plays a constructive role in the promotion of humanitarian, economic and technical assistance to developing nations. Such activities contribute significantly to world peace and prosperity.
Document 7: Teng-Hui, H.E. Lee. President, Republic of China. "The ROC’s Right to Participate in the United Nations." Available online at http://www.fas.org/news/taiwan/1993/s931122-taiwan.htm
Document 7 Short-Answer Questions
- Why does President Teng-Hui think that Communist China cannot represent the Chinese living in the islands of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu?
- What two United Nations principals does President Teng-Hui think will be violated if Taiwan is not admitted to the United Nations?
- List two reasons Teng-Hui gives for admitting Taiwan to the UN.
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