By Debbie Huang

In an increasingly unstable world free democracies are faced with growing challenges, not the least of which are “grey zone” tactics employed by authoritarian regimes which seek to undermine the economies and institutions of free nations and erode the rules-based international order.  Taiwan is among those nations which face such a constant onslaught.

Though a geographically small country located across the Pacific, Taiwan is of great importance to Colorado. In many ways it is the front-line of democracy, the anchor of the Indo-Pacific’s first island chain, serving as a bulwark against communist Chinese aggression. It is also one of Colorado’s most important trading partners, especially for agricultural products, and a leader in 21^st century technology — accounting for 60% of the world’s semiconductors, including 90% of the most advanced ones, and an increasingly important partner in artificial intelligence. This makes Taiwan an indispensable economic partner, not just for Colorado, but for the world.  

Taiwan is committed to the defense of democratic values, individual rights, and free markets, both at home and abroad. Last year, Taiwan’s new president, Lai Ching-te, unveiled the “Four Pillars of Peace” action plan, which includes: strengthening national defense; improving economic security; strengthening partnerships with fellow democratic countries, and pursuing stable and principled cross-strait leadership. The first of these is building our national defense, including a commitment to raise Taiwan’s defense spending. Taiwan desires peace, but harbors no illusions about the threat against our way of life — the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has never renounced the use of force against our country, and has increased its military activity around our islands. Taiwan does not seek conflict with China, and we will not provoke it; in fact, we desire greater, constructive dialogue with Beijing. But make no mistake, we will defend our sovereignty if need be. 

However, national security relies not only on military strength, but also on the ability to enhance national resilience through technology and innovation. Taiwan’s leadership in semiconductor production and advanced technology fuels growth in several major economic sectors, including AI, digitalization, and healthcare. As part of a national economic diplomacy strategy, Taiwan is seeking to establish new “non-red” supply chains — those independent of China. In addition to providing for economic growth both for Taiwan and our trading partners, this strategy will safeguard critical high-tech industries from undue interference from China and other authoritarian regimes. 

Unfortunately, while Taiwan has proven to be a responsible and vital international partner on so many levels, and despite its significant global contributions, it remains largely unrecognized by the international community, and unconscionably excluded from most international organizations, including the United Nations (UN) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This is due to the People’s Republic of China’s continued and deliberate misrepresentation of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758. The resolution, which enabled the PRC’s admission to the UN, makes no mention of Taiwan, and neither excludes Taiwan from UN participation, nor grants the PRC permission to represent Taiwan. Taiwan has never been a part of the PRC; nevertheless, the UN has continued to capitulate to communist China’s relentless political pressure, and uses resolution 2758 as a pretext to exclude Taiwan from the international community.  

Taiwan is pushing back against this unreasonable exclusion by engaging on a meaningful level with the very international community the CCP seeks to isolate us from. Through diplomacy, economic trade, international development, and humanitarian assistance, Taiwan has demonstrated our resilience and our commitment to be valuable global partners. As a result, increasing numbers of countries are emphasizing the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, including at multilateral forums such as the Group of Seven (G7). Meanwhile, governmental bodies within several nations have publicly clarified that UNGA Resolution 2758 neither determines Taiwan’s status nor precludes its participation in the UN system.

There are more opportunities for the international community to express their support for Taiwan and our stand for democracy; the ICAO, for example, will convene for it’s 42^nd assembly from September 23 to October 3, in Montreal Canada, where they will draw up international civil aviation regulations. The Taipei Flight Information Region covers one of the busiest regions in East Asia for air travel, and the ICAO should be called upon to allow Taiwan to fully participate in the Assembly to ensure the maintenance of regional aviation safety.

This year marks the 80^th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations. This is the ideal time for the international community to recognize Taiwan’s rightful place on the world stage and embrace the contributions our nation has to offer. Taiwan invites the world — and Colorado — to “chip in” and work together to create a better, brighter, more peaceful and stable world.

Debby Huang is director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Denver, which serves as the de facto consulate for the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the states of Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.