The Chinese tug of war

Conflict

By lan Williams

Once again, this year Taiwan made its almost traditional bid for a sepa rate seat at the United Nations.

Until 1971 the South Pacific island voted on behalf of the whole of China until a restive General Assembly, on what US ambassador George Bush called “a day of infamy”, decided that there was only one China and its government was in Beijing, not Taipei. (Of course that was then.

During the Women’s conference ex- President Bush was being feted by and praising the “infamous” Chinese Government) The issue was put quite subtly, calling simply for a study to me made on how the Taiwanese people could be represented at the United Nations. After a three-hour committee session, in which many delega tions voiced their support for Taiwan to be admitted - as well as China - on the same basis as North and South Korea, or in the old days. East and West Germany, it was decided that there was “no consensus” on putting the issue on the agenda of the full Assembly. “No consensus” of course, means that the Chinese would be as unhap py as only they know how to be at any hint of support for Taiwan. That is perhaps why most of the world stayed silent on the issue. For example, Taiwan aided exiled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide of Haiti financially, and he spoke on their behalf a year ago - and almost provoked a Chinese veto of the UN mission that returned him to power.

Many members see that there is an anomaly in a 21-million-strong territory, one of the biggest trading nations in the world, being excluded, but see no way around the legal problems. After all, the one thing on which both Beijing and Taipei are unanimous is that there is only one China. It is just that they disagree which of them should represent it.

Taiwan’s current magnanimous stand of sharing representation at the United Nations was not apparent when they had the Security Council seat before 1971.

Since then, of course, things have changed. Taiwan has become democratic, while much of the Chinese economy has become capitalist, but Beijing is under standably hypersensitive to any sugges tions that detract from its legitimacy.

Despite that, 12 members defied the wrath

of Beijing by supporting the measure,

including, in the Pacific, the Solomons. In

Most of the 30 or so states that do recognise Taiwan are either very small, very poor, or both, allowing the People’s Republic to accuse the Taiwanese of dollar diplomacy.

But both sides have practised that.

speech and letter, the Solomons made an eloquent and reasoned intervention on behalf of the resolution that, without being too suspicious, indicated some homework done on the delegation’s behalf by the Taiwanese.

Papua New Guinea did not support Taiwan, despite the impression that many observers had that it was recognising Taipei earlier this year. In fact, PNG’s Sir Julius Chan explicitly denied that any such decision had been made when he visited the UN in October and reaffirmed that Port Moresby considers the People’s Republic of China to be the sole representative, while having close trading relations with Taiwan.

The other missing Taiwan supporter in the Pacific is Maxim Carlot of Vanuatu. A long-time member of the World Anti- Communist League, which has had close ties with some of Taiwan’s ruling party, Carlot’s government still recognises Beijing. Cynical observers assume that the French may have told him not to, but there

may also be serious difficulties in getting any such change through his coalition. So far, apart from the Solomons, the only other Pacific states recognising Taiwan are Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu, none of whom are members of the UN.

In fact, most of the 30 or so states that do recognise Taiwan are either very small, very poor, or both, allowing the People’s Republic to accuse the Taiwanese of dollar diplomacy. But both sides have practised that, as a look at the aid projects in the Caribbean islands, like Barbados, which recognises Beijing, and St. Vincent, which recognises Taipei, soon makes apparent. In a world where aid flows are drying up, one can hardly blame impoverished states for succumbing to temptation from one of two

economic giants.

The one thing that can be predicted is that the issue will be raised annually, but without some rapprochement between the mainland and Taiwan, its hope of success will remain slender - even if every mem ber of the Forum and AOSIS joined in.B