TAIPEI (AFP) — Taiwan pledged Thursday to press on with its diplomatic battle for a seat at the United Nations after the world body turned down its 15th bid for membership amid opposition from China.
Beijing, in sharp contrast, welcomed the decision by a key UN committee in the latest round of the decades-long dispute, and just days after hundreds of thousands of people rallied in Taipei in support of its claims.
The sensitive issue is likely to flare up again soon with the government in Taiwan vowing to organise a referendum next year on UN membership despite the opposition of the US and Chinese presidents.
China and Taiwan split in 1949, but Beijing regards the island as part of Chinese territory awaiting reunification and has threatened invasion if Taipei formally declares independence.
Taiwan's foreign ministry said it regretted Wednesday's UN decision but was not surprised.
"This is our first attempt trying to join the UN under the name 'Taiwan'," ministry spokesman David Wang said.
He added: "It was not a surprise that our effort was blocked again, but we have successfully highlighted the issue in the international community."
The UN General Assembly's 22-member general committee agreed by consensus during a meeting Wednesday in New York not to put the membership issue on the agenda.
"We regret the decision of the UN General Assembly which was not unexpected since it (the application) was a highly difficult task," Wang said.
"China is bullying us with all its might. We knew it was a highly difficult task and we will continue our efforts in the years to come."
However, Wang said Taipei would not bring the issue to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, as a government spokesman had suggested a day earlier.
China's foreign ministry said the UN decision "shows once again no one can change the fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China."
"Anyone who challenges the one-China principle and plots to split China will utterly fail," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in a statement.
Taiwan, under its official name the Republic of China, lost its UN seat to China in 1971 and is now only recognised diplomatically by 24 countries.
Attempts to rejoin using its official title have been repeatedly shot down by Beijing, which considers the UN bid as pushing for independence.
Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian plans to stage a referendum on applying for UN membership using the name Taiwan, to run alongside presidential polls next March.
China and the United States are strongly opposed to a referendum.
US President George W. Bush and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao said any such move would be provocative, Hu warning of a "possibly dangerous" period in relations and the US side pledging to use its influence on Taiwan to drop the idea.
Nevertheless, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of the southern city of Kaohsiung at the weekend in support of the referendum, in a show of strength by Chen's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Chen has defended his plan, arguing it is designed to safeguard the island against China's military threat and diplomatic supressions.
The DPP plans to stage a round-the-island torch relay on UN Day on October 24 to drum up support for a referendum.
DPP lawmakers criticised the UN decision not to admit Taiwan to the world body for "losing its sense of justice and failing to safeguard human rights, freedom and democracy."
The DPP government had organised campaigns and run advertisements in major US newspapers to drum up support for its UN bid.
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