The Dutch newspaper Reformatorisch Dagblad published an op-ed by Representative Chung-Kwang Tien, urging the Netherlands to firmly reject China’s distortion of UNGA Resolution 2758, and to support Taiwan’s participation in the UN and ICAO.
*Full text of the op-ed:
This month, the eightieth UN General Assembly convenes. This forum allows member states to discuss global issues. Any country can participate, except Taiwan. This is unfair and disadvantageous, including for the Netherlands.
In 1971, the People's Republic of China distorted UN Resolution 2758 (which declared the People's Republic of China the sole legitimate government of China) by falsely claiming that Taiwan was part of China. This resulted in the country excluding Taiwan from the United Nations and UN-affiliated organizations, such as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
In reality, UN Resolution 2758 pertained solely to China's UN seat. Taiwan was not mentioned anywhere, and China was not granted any right to represent Taiwan at the UN.
The distortion of this resolution not only poses a direct threat to the international rule of law but also undermines the current situation in the Taiwan Strait and peace and stability in the entire Indo-Pacific region. This region is of great economic and strategic importance, including for the Netherlands. Taiwan is the Netherlands' most important partner in the semiconductor industry and the Netherlands' third-largest trading partner in Asia.
An important concrete example concerns aviation safety. The Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR), administered by Taiwan, is the gateway to the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. It is a vital link between Northeast and Southeast Asia. Numerous international airlines, including KLM, use this airspace daily. In 2024 alone, more than 880 flights were operated between Amsterdam and the Taiwanese capital Taipei, transporting over 225,000 passengers.
Besides abusing UN Resolution 2758 to keep Taiwan out of the ICAO, China also regularly dispatches warships and fighter jets to intimidate the Taiwanese population. Since January of this year, China has already sent more than 3,200 fighter jets into Taiwan's aviation zone without any authorization. This poses serious risks to international aviation safety. It not only leads to dangerous situations for passengers and crew, but also to significantly higher costs.
It is all the more disturbing that the UN continues to apply China's unilateral interpretation of Resolution 2758. As a result, Taiwanese citizens, including journalists, are denied access to UN buildings and conferences. This is not only unfair to Taiwan, but it also undermines the fundamental values that the Netherlands, among others, holds dear. Think of human rights, freedom of the press, and equal treatment. By allowing one member state to distort a resolution and thereby systematically discriminate against millions of people, the UN loses its credibility as a guardian of international law. It thus betrays the principle of equal rights for all peoples.
Taiwan is a prosperous democracy and a reliable partner that could actively contribute to the UN's sustainable development goals, particularly in the areas of healthcare, climate change, and technological innovation. Therefore, it is also important for the Netherlands, which derives its security and prosperity from a stable and secure international environment, that the UN makes Taiwan a true part of the international community. Therefore, let the Netherlands speak out with conviction in favor of Taiwan's participation in the UN and in rejecting China's abuse of UN Resolution 2758.
