[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 112 (Friday, September 17, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1651-E1652]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TAIWAN'S RETURN TO THE UNITED NATIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. THOMAS G. TANCREDO

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 17, 2004

  Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Republic of 
China on Taiwan's return to the United Nations. The island nation has 
been barred from participation in U.N. activities since 1971, when the 
U.N. adopted resolution 2758, which gave Taiwan's seat at the U.N. to 
the authorities in Communist China.
  Thirty-three years later, many people now realize that this decision 
was a mistake, and an injustice to the 23 million people who live in 
Taiwan. Taiwan is an independent, peace loving, and democratic nation 
that elects its own leaders, manages its own economy, and conducts its 
own foreign affairs. Clearly, the communist government in Mainland 
China does not--as it asserts--represent democratic Taiwan.
  It is time that the U.N. to start treating those 23 million people 
with the same dignity and respect accorded to other nations. The 
Republic of China deserves a place in the United Nations. By excluding 
the Republic of China on Taiwan from the United Nations to placate the 
communist authorities in Beijing, the U.N. is violating its own 
principles and charter. Its failure to treat Taiwan evenhandedly does a 
disservice to the people of Taiwan, and to the rest of the world.

[[Page E1652]]

  Beyond political and philosophical notions, the decision to exclude 
Taiwan from international organizations has very real consequences. In 
the spring of 2003, for example, Taiwan was affected by the SARS 
epidemic. Because Taiwan is barred from membership in the United 
Nations, the World Health Organization's response to Taiwan's SARS 
outbreak was substandard and late. As a result, 37 people lost their 
lives. In 1998 an enterovirus epidemic struck Taiwan, infecting more 
than a million people, hospitalizing hundreds, causing 80 deaths and 
resulting in over $1 billion in economic losses. In all of these cases, 
because the WHO was forced to spend its time and resources finding 
``indirect ways'' to provide assistance to Taiwan, the response 
suffered. And these shortcomings cut both ways. Because of the ROC's 
exclusion from the international community, Taiwan cannot share its 
health-related experiences, manpower and other resources with the rest 
of the world.
  Support for Taiwan's membership in the U.N. ought to be a no brainer. 
As a friend and ally, the United States should stand up for Taiwan. We 
must make it clear to others that we believe it is unfair to exclude 
Taiwan from the world community, and we must also tell the authorities 
in Beijing that Taiwan's membership in the United Nations poses no 
threat to them, or the achievement of a peaceful and equitable solution 
to the cross-straits situation.
  Mr. Speaker, the ROC's membership in the U.N. will be beneficial to 
the people of Taiwan, to the United States, and to the world. I urge 
support for Taiwan's campaign to rejoin the United Nations.

                          ____________________