A persistent Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian has made yet another attempt to join the United Nations in the name of Taiwan - this time writing to the UN secretary general directly to press for his bid, DPA QUOTED his chief aide as saying Friday. "Our New York colleagues submitted an application signed by President Chen Shui-bian to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on the night of July 19, seeking to join the United Nations in the name of Taiwan," said Chen Chi-mai, deputy secretary-general of the Presidential Office. This was a second attempt by the island's leader to ask to join the United Nations in the name of Taiwan since he made a similar request earlier this year, only to be snubbed by the UN Secretariat, which insisted the island's application was a "non-issue." Taiwan has applied each year to join the UN since early 1990s, but it has used its official "Republic of China" to apply to join the global body. Chen's deputy secretary-general noted Friday that because the request to join the United Nations under its official title has been ignored by international society in the past 14 years, President Chen has decided to use the "Taiwan" title to apply for membership. He said Taiwan is entitled to join the United Nations, given its economic magnitude as being the 18th biggest economy, the 16th largest trading country and the 7th largest investor in the world. For the sake of equality and fairness and the right of 23 million Taiwanese, the United Nations should accept Taiwan as a member, the deputy secretary-general said. The United Nations ousted Taipei, which used to hold the China seat in the UN, to admit Beijing as the legitimate representative of China in 1971. Taiwan and China split at the end of a civil war in 1949, but Beijing continues to see the island as a Chinese province which has no sovereignty power. Beijing has strongly opposed Taiwan's accession to any international organizations which require statehood for participation. It has lashed out at President Chen's attempt to join the United Nations under the name of Taiwan.
