The Foreign Ministry responded sharply today after Taiwanese activist Vivi Lin (林薇) said Thursday that she was barred from attending a UN World Summit after she refused to “change her nationality”. The Ministry says that by barring Lin’s participation, the UN violated the rights of ROC nationals to participate in international affairs.

On Thursday, November 6, Lin posted on Facebook that while she was originally scheduled to participate in the World Summit for Social Development in Qatar, her entry was suspended and she was asked by the UN Secretariat to “change her nationality”. Despite ongoing communication, the requirement was never clarified or withdrawn, and the UN Secretariat disqualified Lin from participating without notification or explanation.  Lin is a well-known activist in Taiwan for her work to remove the stigma around menstruation, for her work on gender equality, and as the founder of With Red.

The ministry responded Friday, saying the UN’s longstanding refusal to allow people holding Republic of China (Taiwan) passports to visit or attend affiliate meetings has seriously violated the basic rights of the ROC citizens to participate in international affairs. The ministry maintains that it has continued to seek support from friendly and like-minded countries to rectify the situation, but has received no response from the UN Secretariat.

The ministry says it will continue pursuing the issue and urges the UN to resist pressure from China, implement the UN Charter’s principle of upholding equal rights for all, and rectify the undue discriminatory treatment of ROC citizens promptly.