Parties unite to condemn Beijing’s UN machination

Australia’s major political parties have formally condemned Beijing’s attempts to use a 50-year-old UN resolution to claim that Taiwan is part of China.

Liberal senator David Fawcett. Picture: Jane Dempster

Australia’s major political parties have formally condemned Beijing’s attempts to use a 50-year-old UN resolution to claim that Taiwan is part of China.

Beijing has sought to use the 1971 resolution, which recognises the People’s Republic of China as “the only legitimate representative of China to the UN”, to press its claim over the self-governed territory.

In a bipartisan motion passed on Wednesday, the Senate repudiated China’s interpretation of the resolution.

Moved by Labor’s Deb O’Neill and Liberal senator David Fawcett, it declared UN Resolution 2758 “does not establish the People’s Republic of China’s sovereignty over Taiwan and does not determine the future status of Taiwan in the UN”.

It said the UN resolution should also not preclude Taiwan’s participation in UN agencies and organisations.

The move followed an agreement by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China during a trip to Taiwan this year – attended by senators O’Neill and Fawcett – to condemn Beijing’s use of the UN resolution to push its own One China Principle.

It is believed Australia is the first nation to do so.

The Albanese government has, like its predecessors, argued for the maintenance of the status quo in relation to Taiwan, amid warnings by Beijing it could try to seize the territory by force.

Senator O’Neill told the Senate that Taiwan was “a leading Indo-Pacific democracy and an important partner for Australia”.

“Australia has long supported Taiwan’s meaningful partici­pation in international organisations.,” she said.

“It is not in the interest of the international community to have 24 million Taiwanese excluded.”

Australia’s One China Policy allows for diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China and close unofficial ties with Taiwan.