MOFA strongly condemns China’s misleading position paper on UNGA Resolution 2758

MOFA strongly condemns China's misleading position paper on UNGA Resolution 2758

• Date：2025-10-01
• Data Source：Department of International Organizations

October 1, 2025

No. 378

A position paper released by China on September 30 claims that United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758 "confirms and fully embodies the one China principle" and resolves "once and for all the question of the representation of the whole of China, including Taiwan, in the UN, as a political, legal, and procedural issue."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) strongly condemns these claims and points out that the paper is a deliberate attempt to mislead international opinion, alter the cross-strait status quo, and create a legal basis for future military action against Taiwan.

MOFA underlines that the People's Republic of China has never governed Taiwan, and that neither the Republic of China (Taiwan) nor the PRC is subordinate to the other. This is not only the status quo but an internationally recognized fact. Only Taiwan's democratically elected government can represent the 23 million people of Taiwan in the UN system and other multilateral and international mechanisms.

As MOFA has affirmed before, China is deliberately conflating UNGA Resolution 2758 with its so-called "one China principle." In fact, the resolution only decided to "expel forthwith the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek from the place which they unlawfully occupy at the United Nations and in all the organizations related to it." The entire text makes no mention of Taiwan and no determination regarding Taiwan's sovereignty. It certainly cannot be used to declare Taiwan as part of the PRC. The resolution does not authorize the PRC to represent Taiwan and its people at the United Nations and its specialized agencies. China's misrepresentation of UNGA Resolution 2758 to claim that the international community has accepted the "one-China principle" is an absurd distortion of the truth and exposes China's intention to undermine the rules-based international order.

MOFA states that UNGA Resolution 2758 should be correctly understood as follows:

1. UNGA Resolution 2758 has nothing to do with Taiwan and does not preclude Taiwan's participation in the UN system or other multilateral fora.

2. In trying to isolate Taiwan, China is intentionally misusing UNGA Resolution 2758 and misrepresenting the policies of other countries in an effort to curtail their right to freedom of choice. These actions contradict the principle of universality enshrined in the UN Charter.

3. Neither the ROC (Taiwan) nor the PRC is subordinate to the other, and the PRC has never ruled Taiwan. Only the government elected through Taiwan's democratic process has the right to represent Taiwan in the UN system and other international organizations.

MOFA emphasizes that following the conclusion of World War II, the Treaty of San Francisco, which had the force of international law, replaced such political statements as the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation. The treaty did not cede Taiwan to the PRC, which has never ruled Taiwan.

Instead, starting from the mid-1980s, Taiwan underwent a bottom-up process of liberalization and democratization, culminating in the completion of its first direct presidential election in 1996. Since then, the representatives of the executive and legislative branches of the ROC (Taiwan) government have all been elected by the Taiwanese people, making it the only legitimate administration that effectively governs and represents Taiwan externally. This has established the status quo under which the ROC (Taiwan) and the PRC stand on an equal footing, with neither being subordinate to the other. These are objective facts.

The ROC (Taiwan) has been through three transfers of governing party-in 2000, 2008, and 2016. The transitions of power have continued to consolidate Taiwan's democratic system and sense of identity and reflect the Taiwanese people's staunch belief in and firm commitment to freedom and democracy.

MOFA points out that the UN Secretariat has long deferred to China in misrepresenting UNGA Resolution 2758 and suppressing Taiwan's international participation with the intent to constrain the right of countries to freedom of choice. Such conduct not only contradicts the principle of universality upheld in the UN Charter but also betrays the partiality and impotence of the United Nations.

MOFA solemnly states that neither the ROC (Taiwan) nor the PRC is subordinate to the other and that the PRC has no right to represent Taiwan in the international community. China has recently engaged in widespread and baseless lawfare in a bid to strengthen its claim that the Taiwan issue is an internal matter, as well as alter the regional status quo and legitimize its aggressive behavior. This has undermined peace and stability.

As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan will continue to maintain the status quo and encourage partner countries to clearly oppose China's false statements. It will also continue to work closely with like-minded countries to jointly defend peace throughout the region and across the Taiwan Strait, and safeguard security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. (E)