Taiwan Legal: What does the United Nations say about Taiwan?

We continue our “Taiwan Legal” speaker series by examining the United Nations’ position on the legal status of Taiwan. In 1971, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution 2758 declaring that the “representatives of the Government of the People’s Republic of China are the only lawful representatives of China to the United Nations,” displacing the Republic of China, which had held the “China” seat since the UN was founded. The PRC argues that this means the Republic of China seated on the island of Taiwan has no independent international legal status and is part of the PRC. Jacques deLisle, a professor of law at the University of Pennsylvania, says this is a misreading of the resolution. He will discuss the background and legal effect of the resolution and why this 54-year-old resolution matters today.  Learn more.