“The US Doesn’t Own The UN” – Furious Beijing Blasts UN Mission’s Taiwan Tweets As “Political Manipulation”

President Trump is going all-in on antagonizing China as a crux of his 2020 campaign strategy (since clearly a large segment of his base, and many undecided voters, blame China for unleashing the virus on the world whether it came from a lab or not). And in keeping with the stepped-up antagonisms – since President Trump’s agreement to “cooperate” with President Xi to fight the virus is 100% meaningless – the US late Friday tweeted its support for Taiwan’s participation in the UN.

Kelly Craft

The tweet, sent by the US Mission to the UN, said the 193-member organization should allow space for “all voices” and welcome “a diversity of views and perspectives” to promote human rights. “Barring #Taiwan from setting foot on UN grounds is an affront not just to the proud Taïwanese people, but to UN principles,” it continued. It was retweeted by US Ambassador Kelly Craft, who succeeded Nikki Haley as US ambassador to the UN.

.@UN was founded to serve as a venue for all voices, a forum that welcomes a diversity of views & perspectives, & promotes human freedom. Barring #Taiwan from setting foot on UN grounds is an affront not just to the proud Taiwanese people, but to UN principles. #TweetForTaiwan

— U.S. Mission to the UN (@USUN) May 1, 2020

The U.S. believes firmly that #Taiwan belongs at the table when the world discusses #COVID19 and other threats to global health. Before 2017, Beijing didn’t object to Taiwan joining the World Health Assembly as an Observer. What’s changed? #TweetforTaiwan

— IO Bureau @ State (@State_IO) May 1, 2020

Is the health of Taiwan’s 23 million people less important now than it was before 2017? Or, is the #PRC punishing Taiwan voters for freely choosing their own leader? #TweetforTaiwan

— IO Bureau @ State (@State_IO) May 1, 2020

We all know Taiwan has long been committed to global health and boasts one of the finest health and research networks in the world, and that Taiwan promotes scientific cooperation and transparency on threats to #health. #TweetforTaiwan #TaiwanModel

— IO Bureau @ State (@State_IO) May 1, 2020

.@iingwen, the contrast with the #PRC is striking. China’s response to the outbreak of #COVID19 has been to hide the facts, muzzle its scientists, and censor discussion. #Taiwan‘s response has been and continues to be a model for the world. #TweetforTaiwan #TaiwanModel https://t.co/KADqwnLsrr

— IO Bureau @ State (@State_IO) May 1, 2020

Sympathy for Taiwan has been running high since the country masterfully handled the coronavirus outbreak. Another boost came when eporters exposed the WHO’s bias toward Taiwan and refusal to even acknowledge the de facto independent state (legally viewed in China as an errant province).

Never one to mince words, President Xi has threatened retaliatory violence against any nation state that dares assist Taiwan on the road to sovereignty, a role that the US under President Trump has consistently flirted with. Trump’s overall hawkishness toward China – a huge component of his political appeal – is why there’s little doubt that China is actively trying to hurt Trump’s election chances (we suspect their intelligence indicates Joe Biden’s level of cognitive decline is more serious than most Americans realize).

Unsurprisingly, China’s Mission to the UN – a body where China enjoys tremendous clout as a permanent voting member of the UN Security Council – responded that the US Mission was way out of line and should probably calm the fuck down before these twitter fingers turn to trigger fingers.

The spokesperson for China’s U.N. Mission called the U.S. Mission tweet “a serious violation” of the General Assembly resolution that gave China the U.N. seat, three U.S.-China joint communiques and China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“It gravely interferes with China’s internal affairs and deeply hurts the feelings of the 1.4 billion Chinese people,” said the spokesperon, who was not named. “There is only one China in the world. The government of the People’s Republic China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China.”

China’s mission accused the United States of ”hypocrisy” for citing the U.N.’s welcome of diverse views while repeatedly using its power to issue visas to block or delay U.N. member states and civil society organizations from attending activities at the United Nations.

China strongly urged the United States to abide by the one-China principle, the three joint communiques between the two countries and the General Assembly resolution “and immediately stop backing the Taiwan region, politicizing, and undermining international response to the pandemic.”

“While the coronavirus is raging across the world, people of all countries are calling for international solidarity in fighting the pandemic,” the Chinese spokesperson said. “Political manipulation by the United States on an issue concerning China’s core interests will poison the atmosphere for cooperation of member states at a time when unity and solidarity is needed the most.”

And the icing on the cake: Global Times editor Hu Xijin whining that the US “doesn’t own” the UN.

The US, for its own agenda, often puts together Five Eyes Alliance and some other Western countries, pretending to be international community. It is just a small gang, with combined population much smaller than China’s or India’s. The UN is not a holding company of the US. pic.twitter.com/keHORO6v1p

— Hu Xijin 胡锡进 (@HuXijin_GT) May 2, 2020

Now get ready to do this all again tomorrow when the Pentagon sends a US carrier strike force through the Strait of Taiwan (we’re joking of course…but on a more serious note…it wouldn’t be so far-fetched).