# Taiwan's First Annual UN Participation Bid (August 1993)

URL: https://allhistories.com/taiwan/timeline/1993-taiwan-s-first-annual-un-participation-bid
Location: United Nations, New York
Themes: Film, Ang Lee

In August 1993 a small group of countries with diplomatic ties to the Republic of China wrote to the United Nations asking that the General Assembly consider the question of representation for the island. It was the first of fourteen annual requests that lasted until 2006. Each was blocked by the General Committee, which declined to place the item on the Assembly's agenda. The Republic of China lost its seat in 1971 when Resolution 2758 recognised the People's Republic as China's sole representative. The ROC argues that the resolution settled only who held the China seat and said nothing about Taiwan, whereas the PRC reads it as confirming its one-China principle. Early requests proposed parallel representation, citing the two Germanys and two Koreas. The wording of the campaign changed over time, from "Republic of China in Taiwan" in 1993 to "Taiwan" in 2004 to 2006, and requests in the late 1990s asked for a review of Resolution 2758. All failed in the face of Beijing's opposition. Taiwan later pursued membership in specialised agencies instead, with limited success. At this point in the timeline (1993), President Lee Teng-hui (13 January 1988 – 20 May 2000) led the Republic of China on Taiwan, with Vice President Lee Yuan-tsu (20 May 1990 – 20 May 1996), while Premier Lien Chan (27 February 1993 – 1 September 1997) headed the Executive Yuan. The main location of this event lies outside Taiwan, its offshore islands and the Taiwan Strait.

## Why it matters
The campaign made Taiwan's lack of UN representation a recurring international issue and shows the lasting disagreement over the meaning of Resolution 2758.

Ruler at the Time: [Lee Teng-hui](https://allhistories.com/taiwan/rulers/lee-teng-hui)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Taiwan and the United Nations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan_and_the_United_Nations)
- [Wikipedia — Foreign relations of Taiwan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_relations_of_Taiwan)