Only fourteen states maintain official diplomatic ties with Taiwan. It holds observer or other status on several other bodies. Taiwan does, however, hold member status in more than forty organizations, most of them regional, such as the Asian Development Bank and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, as well as in the World Trade Organization. Ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) countries have called for Taiwan’s inclusion in WHO forums. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Taipei criticized the World Health Organization (WHO) for giving in to Beijing’s demands and continuing to bar Taiwan-which mounted one of the world’s most effective responses to COVID-19 in the first two years of the pandemic-from attending the organization’s World Health Assembly as an observer. Taipei regularly protests its exclusion the United States also pushes for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in such organizations.
China rejects Taiwan’s participation as a member in UN agencies and other international organizations that limit membership to states. Foreign Policy Is Taiwan a member of the United Nations? Pointing to Beijing’s recent crackdown on Hong Kong’s freedoms, Tsai and even the KMT have rejected the “one country, two systems” framework. In a 2019 speech, Xi reiterated China’s long-standing proposal for Taiwan: that it be incorporated into the mainland under the formula of “one country, two systems.” This is the same formula used for Hong Kong, which was guaranteed the ability to preserve its political and economic systems and granted a “high degree of autonomy.” Such a framework is deeply unpopular among the Taiwanese public. In her 2016 inaugural address, Tsai noted she was “elected president in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of China,” which is a one-China document, and said she would “safeguard the sovereignty and territory of the Republic of China.” Tsai also pledged that she would “conduct cross-strait affairs in accordance with the Republic of China Constitution, the Act Governing Relations Between the People of Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, and other relevant legislation.” Beijing, however, rejected this formulation and cut off official contacts with Taiwan. Instead, she has attempted to find another formulation that would be acceptable to Beijing. President Tsai, who is also the leader of the DPP, has refused to explicitly accept the consensus. The KMT’s chief rival party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), has never endorsed the understanding laid out in the 1992 Consensus. For the PRC, as Chinese President Xi Jinping has stated, the 1992 Consensus reflects an agreement that “the two sides of the strait belong to one China and would work together to seek national reunification.” For the KMT, it means “one China, different interpretations,” with the ROC standing as the “one China.” However, the two sides don’t agree on the content of this so-called consensus, and it was never intended to address the question of Taiwan’s legal status. It views the PRC as the only legitimate government of China, an approach it calls the One-China principle, and seeks Taiwan’s eventual “unification” with the mainland.īeijing claims that Taiwan is bound by an understanding known as the 1992 Consensus, which was reached between representatives of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Kuomintang (KMT) party that then ruled Taiwan. Is Taiwan part of China?īeijing asserts that there is only “one China” and that Taiwan is part of it. Some analysts fear a Chinese attack on Taiwan has the potential to draw the United States into a war with China. Meanwhile, Beijing has taken increasingly aggressive actions, including by flying fighter jets near the island. Tsai has refused to accept a formula that her predecessor, Ma Ying-jeou, endorsed to allow for increased cross-strait ties. As China Punishes Taiwan for Pelosi’s Visit, What Comes Next?Ĭross-strait tensions have escalated since the election of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016.