At UN, Pakistan reaffirms ‘ironclad’ support for one-China policy
UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has firmly reaffirmed its adherence to the one-China policy at a seminar held at UN Headquarters in New York, saying it underscored that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Peoples Republic that can never be separated from the motherland.
“As an all-weather strategic cooperative partner and an ironclad friend, Pakistan has always adhered firmly to the One-China Principle – a position that enjoys universal recognition and legitimacy within the international community,” Pakistani Ambassador Asim Ahmad told some 40 diplomats and academics attending the seminar commemorating the 80th Anniversary of Taiwan’s Recovery in 1945 and Upholding the Authority of General Assembly Resolution 2758.
The event was hosted by the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations.
Under the terms of the General Assembly Resolution 2758, which was adopted by an overwhelming majority on 25 October 1971, Taiwan was expelled from the UN and the lawful rights of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) restored. The resolution recognized the representatives of the PRC government as the “only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations.”
The then Pakistan delegation, led by the country’s star diplomat Agha Shahi, played a leading role in the campaign that restored the inalienable rights of China at the U.N. 23 years after its liberation.
In his comments, Ambassador Asim Ahmad, the Pakistani envoy, called it a “seminal event” that heralded a new era in world politics and multilateral diplomacy that reaffirmed that the legitimate aspirations of peoples for dignity, freedom, and respect can neither be denied nor delayed indefinitely.
“The restoration of China’s legitimate rights at the United Nations imbued this Organization with renewed strength, vitality, and legitimacy,” he said.
“Since its rightful return, China, acting as a responsible Member State and a major world power, has played a commendable role in upholding international peace and security and in advancing the purposes and principles of the UN Charter,” the Pakistani envoy added.
“We remain confident that, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the goal of peaceful reunification will be realized, in accordance with the aspirations of the Chinese leadership and people.”
Amid the unprecedented and multifaceted challenges the world faces, ranging from disrupted global supply chains to the eruption of new geopolitical flashpoints and, most critically, the erosion of faith in multilateral diplomacy itself, Ambassador Asim Ahmad said that under the visionary leadership of President Xi Jinping, China is working actively to address these interlocking crises. “His far-sighted approach has guided China’s peaceful rise on the global stage and positioned it as a champion of development, stability, and win-win cooperation.”
China’s steadfast commitment to international cooperation and its vigorous efforts to restore multilateral diplomacy to its full vitality were a matter of deep satisfaction, he said.
“We are confident that China will continue to inject renewed dynamism into the United Nations and play a leading role in reinvigorating multilateral diplomacy. In the pursuit of this noble objective, China will always have Pakistan’s firm support and cooperation.”
Earlier, Munir Akram, the former Pakistan ambassador to the UN, who was invited to the seminar as a special guest, gave an eyewitness account of the dramatic developments that took place before Resolution 2758 was finally passed, despite US opposition. He was at that time serving at the Pakistan Mission to the UN.
