Global Watch | China Chronicles: How world is paying a price for UN Resolution 2758

The date 25 October 1971 would be remembered as one of the defining moments in world history. An event that took place on this day seemed very inconsequential to the world at that time. Not many would have realised that it was a cataclysmic event that would reshape the world in the days to come. China was in hibernation ever since the Communist Party established its dictatorship in 1949 and forced the Chiang-Kai-Shek government to move to Taiwan as the Republic of China. The latter was considered to be representing the real Chinese people and hence was having a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. However, with resolution number 2758, the world order changed overnight. The Republic of China(ROC) was expelled from the United Nations and the People’s Republic of China i.e., the Communist China replaced it. When the vote took place 76 countries voted in favour of this resolution which unfortunately included India also. Thirty-five countries had opposed it and 17 abstained from this vote. UN Resolution 2758 First, let us have a look at the official text of the UN resolution 2758 passed by the UN General Assembly (UNGA): “Recalling the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. Considering the restoration of the lawful rights of the People’s Republic of China is essential both for the protection of the Charter of the United Nations and for the cause that the United Nations must serve under the Charter. Recognizing that the representatives of the Government of the People’s Republic of China are the only lawful representatives of China to the United Nations and that the People’s Republic of China is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council. Decides to restore all its rights to the People’s Republic of China and to recognize the representatives of its Government as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations, and to expel forthwith the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek from the place which they unlawfully occupy at the United Nations and in all the organizations related to it.” The earlier draft of the UN Resolution 2758 was titled A/L. 630 and it was moved by Albania. The other countries who co-proposed the introduction of this resolution were Albania, Algeria, Burma, Ceylon [now Sri Lanka], Congo (People’s Republic), Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Iraq, Mali, Mauritania, Nepal, Pakistan, Romania, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, United Republic of Tanzania, Yemen, Yemen (People’s Democratic Republic), Yugoslavia, Zambia. Geopolitics behind UN Resolution 2758 The resolution that gave Communist China legitimacy even after millions were killed by a dictatorial regime during the Cultural revolution in 1960s there was an outcome of complex geopolitical dynamics as well as myopic view of several Western and Third World countries who supported Communist China to replace the ROC or what is known in common parleys ‘Taiwan’. The great game for “China” seat at the UN played out against a mosaic of competing geopolitical forces. From 1949 to 1971, there was an intense cold war where the Communist bloc led by the Soviets, bound together by the Warsaw Pact, were pitted against the United States and its North Atlantic Treaty Association (NATO). There were several disputes in the Asia-Pacific region which were actually proxy disputes between the two superpowers and leaders of the opposite camps — USSR and the US. These geopolitical tensions played out in the United Nations also as the USSR became the first country not only to recognize PRC but also pushed for it to replace ROC in the UN. However, between 1949 and 1971, the US backed by some of its Western allies was able to block the entry of Communist China at the cost of ROC. There were resolutions and counter-resolutions from both cold war adversaries. China meanwhile was desperate to get into the UN. Until 1965, it tried to move several resolutions through its sympathetic countries but didn’t succeed. But then its approach changed. Elaborating on this, Jessica Drun and Bonnie Glaser explained in a detailed report, “The Distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to Limit Taiwan’s Access to the United Nations, “There was a lull after 1965, during which time the PRC expressed disinterest in joining an organisation it viewed as “a place for playing power politics” between the United States and the Soviet Union and with overt US influence and manipulation. This view was in part spurred by Indonesia’s withdrawal from the UN in 1965, which prompted Beijing to issue a comprehensive list of demands and preconditions for its entry—which largely went unheeded.” “Soon after, with the onset of the Cultural Revolution in 1966, the PRC’s attention turned inward. As the Cultural Revolution began to wind down, which allowed the CCP to regain greater control over state mechanisms, Beijing began a renewed push to join the UN. This was part of a broader, more flexible foreign policy that sought to further legitimize the PRC party-state within the international community and, following the earlier Sino-Soviet split, to counterbalance the Soviet Union.” The PRC’s new foreign policy strategy placed greater emphasis on fostering bilateral relations, including the aim of normalizing ties with former adversaries, on people-to-people relations, and on aid diplomacy, with particular emphasis on developing countries. Such overtures, especially those focused on the Global South, began to pay dividends. The wave of decolonisation following the Second World War, in which three dozen countries in Africa and Asia gained independence between 1945 and 1960, shifted the balance of power at the UN.’ One of the key factors which catapulted many non-communist bloc countries to support the Chinese bid to enter the UN was the Sino-Soviet Split. This resulted in many countries normalising their relationship with the PRC. This included several Western countries. The final tally of those who voted in support of the PRC to replace the ROC, gives one a fair idea of how the Communist Party of China (CCP) played a deft hand to fool the rest of the world. The countries that voted in favour of this resolution included several Western countries such as: Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Israel, Ireland, United Kingdom, Denmarka and Iceland. Both India and Pakistan had also voted in favour of this resolution.  Now China, taking advantage of its position as a permanent member of the UNSC, has repeatedly blocked India’s attempts to apprehend Pakistan-based terrorists. It has also misused its position to protect and nurture Islamic terrorism in Pakistan which is specifically targeted at India. Several other countries have also suffered at the hands of China as it has been leveraging its permanent seat in the UNSC to bully all those who are opposed to the Chinese hegemony. But the biggest sufferer has been Taiwan or what you call the Republic of China. We will talk about Taiwan’s woes and its geopolitical significance in the next part of this series. (Continues) The writer, an author and columnist, has written several books. He tweets @ArunAnandLive. Views expressed are personal. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.