Originally published on the CGS blog on September 19, 2007.
A.P. reports:
NEW YORK, Sept. 19 (AP) – (Kyodo) The United Nations on Wednesday rejected a request by Taiwan to include the subject of its U.N. membership bid into the agenda for the upcoming General Assembly, according to China’s U.N. Ambassador Wang Guangya.
The decision was made at a closed-door meeting of the U.N. General Committee, which is setting the provisional agenda for the upcoming 62nd General Assembly session, Wang said.
Taiwan, which filed the request through its diplomatic allies, has sought U.N. membership under the name “Republic of China” since 1993.
This year, the self-ruled island filed the application as “Taiwan” for the first time after 14 consecutive years of rejection by the United Nations.
Observers say there is no realistic prospect of Taiwan joining the world body because the vast majority of U.N. members, including all major powers, adhere to the “one-China” policy that regards Taiwan as part of China.
The Taipei government, originally set up by the Nationalists who fled mainland China to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war to the communists, held China’s U.N. seat until 1971, when the communist government in Beijing took over.
That’s just gotta ruffle the bristly mustache of at least one neoconservative!
