The public support for Taiwan’s World Trade Organization participation by friends of Taiwan in the U.S. Congress is sincerely appreciated by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung March 27.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan was forced to withdraw from the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference due to the host country, Cameroon, using improper and unacceptable nomenclature to designate Taiwanese nationality.
The MOFA has protested in the strongest terms to the WTO Secretariat, and like-minded countries have also expressed concern for the situation. This is Taiwan’s first compelled absence from the WTO’s premier decision-making forum since its accession in 2001.
Among those voicing support, Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, co-chair of the U.S. Congressional Taiwan Caucus, expressed in a March 23 tweet his deep concern at seeing Cameroon prioritize China’s foreign policy agenda and undermine Taiwan’s status. The move was another blatant example of Beijing’s coercive tactics and sets a dangerous precedent, he said, adding that he will continue to advocate for Taiwan’s international participation.
In a joint statement issued March 25, Reps. John Moolenaar and Ro Khanna, chair and ranking member of the U.S. House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party, respectively, said Taiwan’s compelled absence lessens the WTO’s collective ability to address challenges that chart the future of global trade.
They also stated that the U.S. will continue to stand with Taiwan, adding that Taiwan deserves a seat at the table as a model democracy, one of the world’s largest economies and a technological powerhouse. They called on the WTO to stand up to China’s bullying and facilitate Taiwan’s MC14 participation.
The foreign minister called for future hosts of WTO ministerial conferences to provide formal assurances that similar incidents undermining the equal rights of member economies will not happen again. (SFC-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan was forced to withdraw from the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference due to the host country, Cameroon, using improper and unacceptable nomenclature to designate Taiwanese nationality.
The MOFA has protested in the strongest terms to the WTO Secretariat, and like-minded countries have also expressed concern for the situation. This is Taiwan’s first compelled absence from the WTO’s premier decision-making forum since its accession in 2001.
Among those voicing support, Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, co-chair of the U.S. Congressional Taiwan Caucus, expressed in a March 23 tweet his deep concern at seeing Cameroon prioritize China’s foreign policy agenda and undermine Taiwan’s status. The move was another blatant example of Beijing’s coercive tactics and sets a dangerous precedent, he said, adding that he will continue to advocate for Taiwan’s international participation.
In a joint statement issued March 25, Reps. John Moolenaar and Ro Khanna, chair and ranking member of the U.S. House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party, respectively, said Taiwan’s compelled absence lessens the WTO’s collective ability to address challenges that chart the future of global trade.
They also stated that the U.S. will continue to stand with Taiwan, adding that Taiwan deserves a seat at the table as a model democracy, one of the world’s largest economies and a technological powerhouse. They called on the WTO to stand up to China’s bullying and facilitate Taiwan’s MC14 participation.
The foreign minister called for future hosts of WTO ministerial conferences to provide formal assurances that similar incidents undermining the equal rights of member economies will not happen again. (SFC-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw
from Taiwan Today – Top News