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US-China relations
ChinaDiplomacy

Taiwan’s exclusion from global forums must end: outgoing US envoy Kelly Craft

  • Beijing uses its diplomatic clout to prevent Taipei government joining international bodies including the World Health Organization
  • It is time for the world to oppose China’s actions, UN ambassador Craft tweets as she prepares to leave her post

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US ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft tweeted about “the damage done” by Taiwan’s continued exclusion. Photo: EPA-EFE
Associated Press
In a final swipe at China, the Trump administration’s outgoing UN ambassador tweeted that it was time for the world to oppose China’s efforts to exclude and isolate Taiwan, drawing sharp criticism from Beijing.
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To make the point even more graphic, ambassador Kelly Craft accompanied the tweet with a photo of herself in the UN General Assembly, where the island is banned. And she carried a handbag with a stuffed Taiwan bear sticking out of the top – a gift from Taiwan’s representative in New York, ambassador James Lee.

Taiwan left the United Nations in 1971 when China joined. Beijing considers Taiwan a renegade province and has been using its diplomatic clout to stop its 23 million people joining any organisations that require statehood for membership, including the UN’s World Health Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization.

American relations with Taiwan warmed under former president Donald Trump, largely due to strong bipartisan support in Congress, but also because his administration was willing to defy Beijing’s threats and promote Taiwan as an alternative to Chinese Communist Party authoritarianism.

Craft’s tweet included a photo of a toy Taiwan bear given to her by Taiwan’s representative in New York. Photo: Twitter
Craft’s tweet included a photo of a toy Taiwan bear given to her by Taiwan’s representative in New York. Photo: Twitter
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Craft in September met Taiwan’s New York representative and had been scheduled to visit Taipei last week, but her trip was cancelled after then secretary of state Mike Pompeo banned all travel.
Undeterred, she held a virtual meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on the evening of January 13, telling her: “The United States will always stand with Taiwan.”
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