Taiwan seeks Kosovo treatment

Taiwan was one of the first to congratulate Kosovo on its recent declaration of independence. As a country that cherishes democracy and freedom, Taiwan is delighted that Kosovans will now enjoy the fruits of independence.
While Kosovo can now be expected to head to the top of the queue for membership of the United Nations and suchlike, Taiwan continues to be excluded from many world organisations, such as the UN and the World Health Organization. If Kosovo can make a rightful claim to join the world community, Taiwan's claim is even stronger. Unlike Kosovo, which is just beginning in terms of building a democratic nation, Taiwan is a well-developed and fully fledged democracy.
The Beijing government has voiced “grave concern” at the action by the Kosovo parliament in declaring independence from Serbia. This is the very same Beijing government which has threatened military action if Taiwan makes a complete political break with mainland China. To reinforce the point, China currently has more than 1,300 missiles pointing at its small neighbour across the Taiwan Straits.
While calls for Kosovo to join the international organisations enjoy the wholehearted support of the US and many
EU member states, they remain stubbornly opposed to Taiwan doing so. Why is this? Presumably, the only reason can be fear of upsetting the all-mighty Chinese.
So, while the Taiwanese people live under the constant threat of Chinese military action and international exclusion, on the other side of the world, Kosovans can look forward to a bright, new future.
The time has surely come to end the unfair and unjust isolation of Taiwan.

Patrick Wang Chen-Tai
Brussels