Taipei: Taiwan’s government has accused China of attempting to fabricate a legal justification for a potential military attack by misrepresenting a pivotal United Nations resolution, in a move that intensifies the ongoing dispute over sovereignty in the Taiwan Strait. According to Taiwan, China’s interpretation of U.N. Resolution 2758 is "misleading" and deliberately designed to alter the status quo between the two sides.
U.N. Resolution 2758, passed in 1971, led to Taiwan’s expulsion from the organization and granted Beijing the seat representing China. Beijing claims that this resolution provides international legal backing for its sovereignty over Taiwan. Taiwan, formally the Republic of China, countered that the resolution does not mention Taiwan and has never implied that the People’s Republic of China governs the island, which has been self-administered since 1949 after the Nationalist government retreated there following the civil war with the communists.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry emphasized that only its democratically elected government can legitimately represent the island’s 23 million citizens in international forums. "China is deliberately misleading the international community," the ministry stated, warning that the mischaracterization of the resolution is part of a broader strategy to lay a legal foundation for potential military action.
China’s Foreign Ministry reiterated its long-standing position that the People’s Republic of China is the rightful government of all China, including Taiwan, invoking historical references to the Republic of China government and Chiang Kai-shek’s regime. The statement asserted that any challenge to Resolution 2758 constitutes a challenge to China’s sovereignty and the authority of the U.N.
The United States and its allies have condemned China’s interpretation, with the U.S. State Department describing it as a coercive effort to isolate Taiwan. The Department stressed that Resolution 2758 does not limit countries from engaging with Taiwan, reinforcing that international interactions with Taiwan remain legitimate and lawful.
Amid rising tensions, China continues to maintain that Taiwan is a province, regularly deploying military assets around the island. Taiwan, in turn, asserts its sovereignty and the legitimacy of its democratic institutions, while the broader international community watches closely as the dispute underscores the fragility of peace and stability in the region.