In response to Beijing’s demand, an international NGO, Birding International, expelled Taiwan’s Chinese Bird Club a week or so ago. Another international NGO, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, has listed on its website the six Taiwanese organizations that have joined the alliance. The cities are listed under “China”. In response, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the mayors of the six cities expressed their solemn protest.
China has increased pressure on international organizations and companies, no matter how small or remote, to include Taiwan as part of China. This has angered the government and people of Taiwan.
The Chinese Birding Association (CBA) said on Sept. 15 that it was terminated by Birding International because it refused to change its name and sign a document opposing Taiwan’s independence. The Chinese Birding Association said that for the past 20 years, under pressure from Beijing, Birding International has continuously harassed and suppressed the Chinese Birding Association, which has been asked three times to change its English name.
The six Taiwanese cities whose citizenship was changed on the website of the Global Mayors Alliance for Climate and Energy are: Taipei City, New Taipei City, Taoyuan City, Taichung City, Tainan City, and Kaohsiung City.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday (Sept. 27) expressed its protest against the change, demanding that the name be corrected based on the documents submitted by Taiwan when it became a member, and said it would defend the rights of local governments to participate in international affairs.
On its website, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that although the Global Alliance of Mayors for Climate and Energy is not an international organization or a specialized agency under the United Nations, it is an important transnational NGO (non-governmental organization) platform for local governments to unite against climate change, including the Sustainable Development of Local Governments (SDLG). Several international organizations, such as the International Committee for the Least Developed Index (ICLEI), are either members or affiliates of ICLEI. Taiwan is registered for this platform through ICLEI membership.
Taiwan’s President Su said Sunday that Taiwan is Taiwan, China is China, Taiwan is not a city in China, and China wants to treat Taiwan as part of China in the world, which is inconsistent with the facts.
The Kaohsiung city government said Saturday it rejects the unilateral change and dwarfing and has contacted the secretariat of the Global Alliance of Mayors to request a return to the original name.
The Taipei Environmental Protection Agency said on Sunday it will request that the name of the group be restored to “Chinese Taipei,” in accordance with the consensus reached in 2015 when Taipei joined the Global Alliance of Mayors for Climate and Energy, in the hope that the organization will not be tainted by politics and affect cooperation among international cities.
According to the Taipei City Environmental Protection Agency, the Alliance misclassified Taipei under “China” in November 2015, which was corrected after Taipei City’s intervention. If the name change request does not receive a favorable response, Taipei City is willing to withdraw from the organization.
The mayors of New Taipei City, Taoyuan City, and Taichung City also solemnly condemned the Global Mayors’ Alliance for Climate and Energy for dwarfing Taiwan and expressing their unacceptability. Taichung City Mayor Lu Hsiu-yen said she has asked the group for a correction, or else she will withdraw from the organization.
Reuters reported on Sunday that the secretariat of the Global Alliance of Mayors for Climate and Energy said in a brief email response to Reuters that it would not be able to respond before the start of business hours on Monday.
China’s foreign ministry also did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
“The Global Alliance of Mayors for Climate and Energy is the world’s largest alliance of cities and local governments to address climate change, promote the transition to low-emission cities and work to build resilient cities that are resilient to climate change. According to the Alliance’s website, it brings together 10,474 cities in more than 120 countries on six continents, covering more than 900 million people. The only member of the Coalition that is part of China on its website is Hong Kong.
Beijing has always considered Taiwan to be part of the People’s Republic of China and has never renounced the use of force to achieve national reunification. On the other hand, the PLA has increased its military pressure on Taiwan, especially recently sending warships and warplanes to harass Taiwan, making cross-strait relations more tense than ever before and making the question of whether China will send troops to attack Taiwan the focus of attention and discussion.
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