US nominee for Ambassador to the UN, Elise Stefanik, currently a member of the House of Representatives, has pledged to work toward Taiwan’s maximum meaningful participation in international organisations, the Taipei Times reported.
“I am committed to making sure that Taiwan has the most maximum meaningful participation within the UN system, as it should in all international organisations,” Taipei Times quoted Stefanik who made the remarks during a Senate confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday.
Stefanik made the statement in response to questions about how, if confirmed as Ambassador, she would address China’s growing influence within the world body and its efforts to block Taiwan’s participation in the UN system.
Elise Stefanik has been a Republican representative since 2015 and has been highly critical of China. She is an ally of US President Donald Trump. Currently, she serves as a senior member of the House Committee on Armed Services and is also a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, according to the Taipei Times.
In her remarks, Stefanik also underscored her support for Taiwan, specifically mentioning her votes in Congress in favour of defence aid to strengthen Taiwan’s deterrence capabilities.
While discussing the need to counter China, Stefanik stressed the importance of working closely with US allies and partners to ensure “we’re running candidates, either American or allied nations, in the elections process for key leadership posts within the UN system.”
She further added, “We have to be vigilant both in the long-term and the short-term to make sure that China is not able to make significant inroads … in international organisations”.
According to the Taipei Times, the envoy-designate also stated that the US should keep a close eye on all documents and statements released in Chinese by the UN, arguing that Beijing has attempted to insert “specific language [in those documents] that is counter to our values.”
(With inputs from ANI)
