November 26, 2021
No. 251
The 89th General Assembly of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) was held from November 23 to 25 in Istanbul, Turkey. Taiwan conducted a campaign to participate in the event as an observer, but it was again obstructed due to political factors. However, its bid garnered expanded international support, indicating that the global community increasingly recognizes the necessity and legitimacy of Taiwan’s participation in INTERPOL. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) is extremely grateful that the executive and legislative branches of governments of diplomatic allies and friendly nations, transnational parliamentary organizations, and other sectors have called for justice for Taiwan.
This year, 11 diplomatic allies—in their capacity as INTERPOL members—either wrote letters or spoke out endorsing Taiwan’s campaign, urging police forces worldwide to recognize Taiwan’s substantive contributions to fighting transnational crime and countering challenges to global security, and requesting that INTERPOL bring Taiwan into its fold.
Friendly nations again expressed strong support for Taiwan’s bid. United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of State at the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Rick Waters, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Ben Knapen, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Somaliland Abdinasir Omer Jama publicly expressed support for Taiwan’s participation. The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association and the Australian Office Taipei shared via their official Facebook accounts a short film produced by MOFA and the Ministry of the Interior’s National Police Agency in support of the INTERPOL campaign, highlighting the importance these countries attach to Taiwan’s international participation.
Parliamentary support from across the globe was the strongest ever since Taiwan launched its campaign for INTERPOL participation, with more than 630 lawmakers from over 35 countries backing Taiwan in various ways. US Representative John Curtis (R-UT) and 70 other Representatives from both parties signed a letter urging the US administration to take concrete action to aid Taiwan’s bid for INTERPOL participation. A total of 368 members of the Japan-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Consultation Association approved a declaration endorsing Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, including INTERPOL. The French Senate passed a resolution and the Dutch House of Representatives adopted a motion, both by an overwhelming vote, to back Taiwan’s efforts to expand its international presence. Parliamentarians from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, and other countries either individually or jointly wrote letters endorsing Taiwan’s INTERPOL campaign. Transnational parliamentary organizations such as the Central American Parliament and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China publicly expressed support in different ways as well as serious concern over China’s inappropriate influence in INTERPOL. The European Parliament approved the European Union-Taiwan Political Relations and Cooperation report, strongly advocating Taiwan’s meaningful participation as an observer in international bodies, including INTERPOL.
To help the international community better understand Taiwan’s appeal, Commissioner Huang Chia-lu of the Criminal Investigation Bureau under the National Police Agency wrote an op-ed entitled “Combating cybercrime in the postpandemic era: Taiwan can help.” As of date, the op-ed has been published 130 times in prominent international media outlets, including the Washington Examiner of the United States, iPolitics of Canada, Sankei Shimbun of Japan, Seoul Shinmun of the Republic of Korea, the EU Political Report, Algemeen Dagblad of the Netherlands, La Razón of Spain, and Haber Ajanda of Turkey. The op-ed emphasizes that Taiwan can contribute to fighting cybercrime by employing advanced technologies. It also calls for cooperation among countries around the globe to create a safer world, which would also foster better international understanding of the professionalism and capabilities of Taiwan’s police.
For this year’s campaign, Taiwan designed a key visual featuring the theme “A Safer World—Taiwan Can Help” and a night view of Taipei 101. The advertisement appeared in light boxes around the INTERPOL General Assembly venue and along major thoroughfares nearby, highlighting Taiwan’s willingness to collaborate with countries worldwide to ensure global security and justice. It attracted the attention of participants in the General Assembly as well as local residents.
MOFA stresses that it is crucial that INTERPOL, an organization for cooperation among law enforcement agencies around the world, maintain political neutrality. As an important member of the international law enforcement community, Taiwan has a strong interest in and exceptional capabilities for contributing to international efforts against cross-border crime. MOFA urges INTERPOL to uphold professionalism and work with Taiwan to find appropriate ways to facilitate Taiwan’s participation in its meetings, mechanisms, training, and activities and to ensure that Taiwan has unimpeded access to the I-24/7 global police communications system, the Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database, and other databases, so as to ensure there is no gap or loophole in the global security network. (E)