PhotoBEIJING — The 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly opens on Tuesday, and 45 members of the Taiwan United Nations Alliance are heading to New York and other cities in the United States, including Washington, Boston and Philadelphia, to make the case for Taiwan’s representation in the world body. The Republic of China, on Taiwan, lost the China seat in the United Nations to the People’s Republic of China, on the mainland, in 1971. The new foreign minister, David Lee, said last month that his government would not pursue United Nations membership, while continuing to press for “meaningful participation” in United Nations-affiliated agencies. We are sending a letter to Ban Ki-moon [the United Nations secretary general], and we’ve arranged a meeting with Randall Schriver, former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state. The wish to join the United Nations is shared by Taiwanese people from different political parties and different backgrounds.

Source: New York Times September 08, 2016 21:00 UTC