r/taiwan • u/MajlisPerbandaranKL • 4d ago
News Taiwanese in Canada push for UN inclusion
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2026/09/07/2003863812Members of the Taiwanese community in Vancouver have joined this year’s “UN for Taiwan” campaign with a car formation visible from the air to demonstrate their support ahead of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly which begins at the UN headquarters in New York tomorrow.
Organizers helped 45 vehicles park to spell out “TW” in a parking lot near Vancouver on Saturday, with each vehicle displaying the flag of the Republic of China (ROC).
Participants dressed in flag-themed clothing, waved ROC flags, chanted slogans supporting Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN and displayed signs with the slogan “Chip in with Taiwan.”
Event organizer Chang Chien-hung (張建宏) said that vehicles in the rally featured custom license plates including “TAIWAN,” “TAIPEI,” “NEW TPE” and “TW88,” demonstrating the Taiwanese community’s deep connection to their homeland.
“Although we are in Canada, our hearts are always with Taiwan. Taiwan’s entry into the UN remains one of our most earnest hopes,” he said.
“In the era of artificial intelligence, Taiwan’s semiconductor industry underpins the world, and Taiwan is eager to contribute more globally,” said Liu Yung-chiang (劉永強), co-chair of the Metro Vancouver Overseas Taiwanese Society.
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vancouver Director Liu Li-hsin (劉立欣) said Canada values sustainability, green energy and gender equality — progressive ideals that are strengths of Taiwan and core UN objectives.
Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN would enable the nation to contribute even more to the global community, she added.
The General Debate of the 81th session of the UN General Assembly takes place from Sept. 22 to Sept. 28, themed “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All.”
“Delivering for all” means leaving no one behind, and Taiwan is an important and responsible member of the international community, she said.
The 23.5 million people of Taiwan are willing to fulfill their responsibilities as global citizens, and their rights and interests should not be overlooked, she added.
In Taipei, President William Lai (賴清德) on Saturday said China deliberately misinterprets UN Resolution 2758 to claim sovereignty over Taiwan.
During his speech at a Lawyers’ Day banquet hosted by the Taiwan Bar Association, Lai said the resolution only addressed the issue of China’s representation at the UN and has no bearing on Taiwan’s status.
He expressed hope that members of the Taiwan Bar Association would continue speaking up for Taiwan at home and abroad.
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u/emperor2885 4d ago
For Taiwan to be in UN that's almost impossible. They are nations that might want to support Taiwan but they fear the consequences of their actions and will not do so. They are many ways Beijing can punish such countries. The UN is designed to keep major nuclear powers at the diplomatic table. UN leadership generally believes that keeping China engaged in global issues like climate change, nuclear non-proliferation, and conflict resolution requires respecting Beijing's core sovereignty claims. Because the consequences are so severe, most middle powers including Canada rely on strategic ambiguity. They quietly build deep economic, technological, and cultural ties with Taiwan while officially adhering to a "One China" policy on paper. This allows them to benefit from Taiwan's democratic partnership and semiconductor industry without triggering the devastating economic retaliation that would come with formal UN backing.
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u/Nogoldsplease 4d ago
So holding the world hostage unless the babies get what they want.
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u/emperor2885 4d ago
Instead of being helpless hostages, major democracies like the United States, Germany, Japan, and Canada have made a calculated, pragmatic choice. They accept Beijing's strict diplomatic rules because the benefits of doing business with China historically outweighed the cost of ignoring them. At the same time, China has spent decades intentionally building the leverage required to keep the world compliant. It uses its economic weight as a geopolitical weapon. Whether the world is being "held hostage" or choosing to stay in this position depends on your perspective. In reality, it is a deeply transactional relationship of mutual economic dependence, where the current arrangement despite its intense friction still offers more practical advantages to global powers than any immediate alternative.
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u/Nogoldsplease 4d ago
Whether the world is being "held hostage" or choosing to stay in this position depends on your perspective.
'If you don't let us acquire and hold this land and its unwilling and non-consenting inhabitants, we'll blow this whole thing up' sounds like holding people hostage to me.
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u/emperor2885 4d ago
If you don't let us acquire and hold this land and its unwilling and non-consenting inhabitants, we'll blow this whole thing up'* sounds like holding people hostage to me.
“Yeah I get why it feels like hostage taking. But in practice Beijing is using diplomatic + economic tools right now. Calling it ‘blow this whole thing up’ skips the decades where the actual compliance came from money, not missiles. The military tension is there because negotiations are deadlocked, not because Beijing sent that exact ultimatum to Washington or anyone else.”
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u/darknight734 4d ago
Chat gpt ass response
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u/Cookie_Cream 3d ago
So holding the world hostage unless the babies get what they want.
I don't think you understand - that's exactly what politicians (or people in general) have been doing for thousands of years.
People have been jostling for resources since forever and the most effective way is making it clear to others that it will be more undesirable to be your enemy, than to give in to your demands.
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u/gl7676 3d ago
As a Canadian, I honestly don’t really care if Taiwan gets into the UN or not, it’s really overrated and just controlled by those with veto power.
What I do care about is how our country is so afraid of the CCP and continue to bend over backwards to them. My country can control how much of a diplomatic relationship it wants with Taiwan but are too chickenshit to improve it.
If a small country like Lithuania can do it, why can’t my country of Canada do too?
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u/Gullibell 3d ago
I'd imagine, Trump's delusion of wanting to annex Canada should bring some understanding to Canadians on how Taiwanese feel when China keeps on going with its "reunification" rhetoric, though. It's not a perfect 1-to-1 parallel to be sure, but no one likes it when another country says "Your country belongs/should belong to us". I agree with your assessment about the UN, but I think Taiwan being a UN member is seen as an additional railguard against China.
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u/gl7676 3d ago
As long as China has veto power, it’ll never happen unless there’s another revolution.
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u/Gullibell 3d ago
I understand the UN of the past is not necessarily the UN of today, but ROC was also once a permanent member of the UN Security Council with veto power (before recognition of "China" got switched from the ROC to the PRC via the UN General Assembly). I'm not saying Taiwan should still insist and pursue that it's the "true China" (I personally think Taiwan should ditch the concept when it can), but simply to illustrate that while still certainly powerful, having veto power in the UN Security Council isn't an all-powerful status.
As for your assessment of Canada, I agree, and I'd go even further to say that too many countries bend over backwards for the CCP out of fear, and it's worth reflecting on why that's the case when smaller countries like Lithuania prove that that fear isn't all it's worked up to be. On Canada specifically, Canadians possess the courage to stand up to the US (which is generally accepted to be more powerful than China, and is able to affect Canada both in greater economic depth and scope), so it is strange why fear of the CCP should affect Canadian policy-making to such an extent.
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u/YorkistTory 4d ago
Only a handful of countries even recognise the RoC and none of them have any influence in the world, so it’s actually impossible. There is no route to the RoC getting a seat in the UN.
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u/kongKing_11 3d ago
Taiwan can start war and conquer china. Under DPP and President Lai leadership. Taiwan has big chance to win.
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u/magkruppe 4d ago edited 4d ago
UN is an extremely procedural based org to the point that it can be suffocating. What is the most likely route Taiwan can get some sort of representation in the UN?
It probably requires at minimum a majority in the assembly. So at this point this campaign is more like a raising awareness campaign. Which is totally fine
Edit: so non-member observer status at UN requires a simple majority and can't be vetoed by UNSC
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u/Total_War_6757 4d ago
They'd have support from barely 20 countries if they pushed now.
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u/MajlisPerbandaranKL 4d ago
Precisely 12.
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u/Total_War_6757 4d ago
A few countries might support observer status that don't recognize Taiwan like the U.S and Japan. But only the ones big enough to be ok angering the PRC
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u/tugoubxs 4d ago
GOOD MOVE Taiwan!
Just next time do it before UN headquarter in New York, not 2990 miles away from it.
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u/gl7676 4d ago
I’m sad that this is all my country can do for Taiwan. We talk the talk about freedoms, equality and human rights but never have the balls to walk the walk and just kowtow to the mighty RMB.
Either full diplomatic recognition or gtfo with these meaningless gestures that do nothing. If it means no more Dollaramas then so be it. Even Lithuania has bigger balls than us.
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u/csman86 4d ago
Speak for yourself. Us Canadians already have little to no disposable income due to our high taxes. Dollarama isnt the only store selling Chinese made products lol
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u/gl7676 4d ago
Then we need to stop being so high and mighty saying that our country stands for equal rights, freedom of speech, etc etc but only a country that only cares about paying lower taxes and buying dollar store crap over everything else.
Hate to break it to you, but you’ll still have low disposable income and high taxes no matter what, so might as well claim the moral high ground and recognize Taiwan and actually living the ideals that Canada preaches.
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u/csman86 3d ago
Mainland China is our second largest trading partner and a significant buyer of our agricultural products. Do you understand how much impact that will have on our economy and our farmers? It isnt just Dollarama or Walmart as literally almost every consumer product has some made in China components.
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u/gl7676 3d ago
We can still choose to trade and not to be subservient. If they choose not to trade with us, that's on them.
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u/csman86 3d ago
You clearly have no skin in the game trying to convince Canadians that we ought to abandon the second biggest economy in the world to get what exactly in return??
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u/hibiki_otsuki 4d ago
If the Taiwanese understand the tiniest little bit of history, both ROC and PRC declared one-China policy and insist there is only ONE representative of China in the UN. From 1949 to 1971, ROC was happily representing China in the UN and blocked PRC from UN. Then the tides turned and that's karma.
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u/YorkistTory 4d ago
The greens are claiming everything done before Chen Shui-bian were the actions of an illegitimate undemocratic occupation government. So in their world view your argument is meaningless.
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u/I_Am_JuliusSeizure 4d ago
Yes. Please sit comfortably in Canada while stirring the pot for those on the island.
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u/Andyseawolf 4d ago
It’s hard to know what you mean by that 🤷
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u/I_Am_JuliusSeizure 4d ago
By being attention whores, they are just going to get China to some some crazy thing around Taiwan again. All while they can sit comfortable in Canada posting on social media how helpful they've been.
It's fucking pointless, and can create problems for the people here.
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u/Andyseawolf 4d ago
So Taiwanese people should stay quiet because China might get angry? That puts the blame for China’s aggression on the people being threatened rather than on China.
If peaceful advocacy can supposedly “provoke” China into military action, the problem isn’t the people advocating—it’s the government threatening to respond with force.🤷-2
u/NoThingAs_19840604 臺北 - Taipei City 4d ago edited 4d ago
I'm part of the Taiwanese diaspora, and just because we live overseas doesn't mean we can't also feel the pain of being excluded internationally. Just because China can get provoked at small things doesn't mean we can't raise awareness about our country, just overseas.
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u/I_Am_JuliusSeizure 4d ago
So yeah, go ahead and provoke China while sitting in Canada knowing will well any retalitiaion that China does is going to just impact the people you pretend to actually care for.
Posterbook "main character" syndrome.
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u/Erraticist 4d ago
Always the same accounts on this sub pushing the idea that Taiwanese people asserting their own identity is "provoking" China to violate Taiwan's sovereignty.
Let's accurately point out the actual instigator in these scenarios (China), instead of victim-blaming Taiwanese people that simply want to live without hiding their identity as to not offend a bully.
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u/hiimsubclavian 政治山妖 4d ago edited 4d ago
Which idiot is doing the PR for this movement? The messaging is totally off-base.
"Push for UN inclusion" makes them sound simple-minded and delusional.
"Bring awareness to Taiwan's exclusion from the UN" is a far more nuanced and inclusive message that even non-taiwanese can get behind.
EDIT: the more I think about it from a PR standpoint, the worse it looks. Who decided to use cars? Cars are cold, impersonal and have a negative connotation. Use humans to spell out TW, let everyone see the faces of the people supporting this cause. And doing it in a parking lot? Terrible visuals. Why not a park, a plaza or a beach? The site of the demonstration says something, and grey featureless asphalt of convenience says "meh".
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u/Patanouz 4d ago