SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 15
(By Senator Rucker)
[Introduced February 28 2025]
Opposing the People’s Republic of China’s misuse of United Nations Resolution 2758 to delegitimize Taiwan and exclude Taiwan from international organizations.
Whereas, The Republic of China (ROC) – Taiwan – was one of the 51 original member states of the United Nations (UN) at its inception in 1945; and
Whereas, On October 25, 1971, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted UNGA Resolution 2758, which recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the representative of the member state "China" in the United Nations; and
Whereas, UNGA 2758 Resolution’s sole purpose was to address the question of which government would represent the seat in the UN for "China" and was never intended to address any other topics including those related to Taiwan’s ultimate political status; and
Whereas, The PRC frequently conflates UNGA Resolution 2758 with its "One China Principle" which is a policy held by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) alleging that: the PRC is the only sovereign nation using the name "China" and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of "China"; and
Whereas, PRC officials misrepresent UNGA Resolution 2758, claiming that the adoption of the Resolution implies acceptance of the PRC’s "One China Principle" including the PRC’s claims to Taiwan despite the fact that UNGA Resolution 2758 does not and was never meant to represent an international consensus regarding Taiwan and whether or not it is a part of the PRC; and
Whereas, The PRC misleadingly claims that countries with a "one China policy" have accepted and abide by the PRC’s "One China Principle" and has misused UNGA Resolution 2758 to influence and coerce 10 countries since 2016 to change their diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to the PRC; and
Whereas, The "one China policy" of the United States does acknowledge the PRC’s "One China Principle", however, it affirms that:
(1) The United States does not take a position on Taiwan’s status; and
(2) This issue should be resolved peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait; and
Whereas, In 1982, the United States conveyed Six Assurances to ROC President Chiang Ching-kuo, including that the United States had not changed its stance on Taiwan’s sovereignty, and with each successive presidential administration these Six Assurances have been reaffirmed; and
Whereas, The PRC has weaponized UNGA Resolution 2758 and the "One China Principle" to isolate and delegitimize Taiwan globally and to prevent its participation at the United Nations, United Nations-affiliated agencies and other international organizations, including but not limited to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and Interpol; and
Whereas, Former US officials have observed that the PRC manipulates UNGA Resolution 2758 to make false claims regarding Taiwan’s status in order "to undermine the international order and the international system;" and
Whereas, The PRC’s strategy of disseminating disinformation about the scope and purpose of UNGA Resolution 2758 is succeeding with some UN members refusing to support Taiwan’s participation in UN entities, including the expulsion of Taiwan from the Central American Parliament (also known as PARLACEN) after 20 years as a permanent observer and the routing of communications to Taiwan through the PRC; and
Whereas, US Department of State officials have made statements making the following observations:
Whereas, For the third time and for two consecutive years, most recently in October 2024, the US Department of State sent a letter to state officials, American mayors, Fortune 500 CEOs urging them to deepen their relationship with Taiwan in areas such as trade, education, investment and tourism; and
Whereas, US allies including but not limited to Australia, the Netherlands, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Parliament have rejected the PRC’s attempt to distort UNGA Resolution 2758 to exclude Taiwan from UN participation; and
Whereas, The PRC’s weaponization of UNGA Resolution 2758 includes threats to Taipei that if Taiwan does not "clarify" UN member states’ understanding of the Resolution, Beijing might overturn the cross-Strait status quo; and
Whereas, The government of Taiwan appealed to the UNGA for greater inclusion in this international body at the 79th UNGA in September 2024 which featured the theme: "Leaving no one behind: Acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future"; and
Whereas, The PRC’s weaponizing of UNGA Resolution 2758 has consistently "left behind" Taiwan’s 23.5 million people since 1971; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Legislature hereby opposes the People’s Republic of China’s misuse of United Nations Resolution 2758 to delegitimize Taiwan and exclude Taiwan from international organizations; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Legislature does the following –
(1) Calls on the United Nations to oppose the misuse of UNGA Resolution 2758 by the PRC and for the United Nations to cease using UNGA Resolution 2758 to deny Taiwan participation in UN institutions; and
(2) Calls on the United Nations Secretariat to remain neutral and to cease citing UNGA Resolution 2758 to prevent Taiwanese nationals and news media from visiting UN buildings or attending or covering UN conferences and events; and
(3) Reaffirms that the longstanding "one China policy" of the United States does not recognize the PRC’s claim of control over Taiwan and its outlying islands and reaffirms the interest of the United States in a peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues; and
(4) Has not agreed to take any position regarding sovereignty over Taiwan, and will not exert pressure on Taiwan to enter into negotiations with the PRC; and
(5) Reaffirms that the "one China policy" of the United States and the similar policies of its partners are not equivalent to the "One China Principle" of the CCP; and
(6) Emphasizes that UNGA Resolution 2758 is not equivalent to, and does not endorse or reflect, the PRC’s "One China Principle"; and
(7) Emphasizes further that UNGA Resolution 2758 does not take a position on Taiwan’s ultimate political status, as explicitly recognized by PRC leaders at the time and does not represent a UN consensus on Taiwan’s status; and
(8) Opposes China’s distortion of UNGA Resolution 2758, which is wrongfully conflated it with the so-called "One China Principle"; and
(9) Supports Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in continuing official relationships with Taiwan and other nations across the world in strengthening their partnership with Taiwan; and
(10) Reaffirms support for Taiwan’s membership in international organizations for which statehood is not a requirement for membership and encourages participation for Taiwan in organizations in which its membership is not possible; and
(11) Encourages the United States Government to work with partners on joint efforts to counter China’s false narratives about UNGA Resolution 2758; and
(12) Supports the efforts of other countries to differentiate between their policies and the "One China Principle" to counter PRC propaganda about international views of Taiwan; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the Senate is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to West Virginia’s congressional delegation.