A senior Taiwanese official on Monday defended the island's bid to join the United Nations and accused China of trying to destroy its freedom and democracy. Shieh Jhy-wey, head of the Government Information Office, also accused Beijing of repeatedly attempting to block Taiwan from joining international organisations.
The island, under its official name the Republic of China, lost its UN seat to China in 1971. "From a Western philosophical point of view, 'status quo' is ever changing. Both Taiwan and China are changing the status quo of the Strait," said Shieh, after Singapore said it opposed any attempt to alter Taiwan's status.
"But the difference is that China is changing the status quo to destroy Taiwan's freedom and democracy while Taiwan is doing so to defend its freedom and democracy," he said.
Shieh added that Beijing risked pushing the Taiwanese people further away if it kept up the pressure on such issues. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) wants to hold a referendum on joining the UN under the name "Taiwan" despite US warnings such a move might stoke tensions across the Taiwan Strait.
The party has collected at least 800,000 signatures, the minimum needed to put the issue to a vote alongside elections early next year. Taiwan has failed in annual attempts to rejoin the organisation under its official name the Republic of China.
Names and titles are highly symbolic issues in the row between Taiwan and China, which considers the island part of its territory awaiting reunification despite their split in 1949 at the end of a civil war.