Expert: China Distorts UNGA Resolution 2758, World Misses Out on Taiwan's Security Experience

(CNA reporter Qiu Dezhen, Sydney, 5th) Nathan Attrill, a cross-strait relations expert at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), told CNA that due to China's misinterpretation of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, Taiwan has been unjustly excluded from international cooperative bodies, causing the international community to miss opportunities to share Taiwan's unique security knowledge and practical experience. Attrill believes that democratic nations should explicitly oppose China's erroneous interpretation of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758.

As Australia grapples with the 'undersea battlefield,' and Taiwan possesses experience in countering China's gray-zone tactics aimed at damaging critical undersea infrastructure, Attrill, a former senior analyst at the New Zealand Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and current senior analyst at ASPI, responded via email to CNA's inquiries, stating that Taiwan's experience in dealing with the 'undersea battlefield' is indeed valuable for Australia to learn from.

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles warned at the end of May during the 2026 Asia Defense Summit, the Shangri-La Dialogue, that 'the seabed will be a battlefield,' stating that hostile nations are attempting to damage critical undersea infrastructure worldwide.

In response to Marles' warning, ASPI yesterday published an article by Lu Ming-ze, Director of its Melbourne Office, which pointed out that learning from Taiwan's experience can help Australia and other democratic nations more effectively protect critical undersea infrastructure. Lu further noted that the long-standing misinterpretation of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 has made it difficult for Taiwan to participate in international organizations, causing nations to miss opportunities to share Taiwan's relevant practical experience and giving hostile forces an opening.

Attrill explained that Taiwan has faced a powerful and coercive neighbor for many years. Under this persistent pressure, Taiwan has had to continuously explore effective countermeasures and strategies to protect its critical infrastructure, including power grids, communication cables, ports, and transportation systems. Therefore, Taiwan's experience is extremely valuable for Australia.

He pointed out that for a long time, Taiwan's critical infrastructure has been a potential target for attack or sabotage by hostile forces. Consequently, Taiwan has had to seriously consider issues such as maintaining resilience, deploying backup systems, detecting threats and anomalous activities, and enabling rapid repairs. It is under these circumstances that Taiwan has accumulated a unique set of security knowledge and experience.

Attrill said, 'Taiwan's expertise should be recognized; especially in areas such as critical infrastructure protection, cybersecurity, maritime security, and resilience, Taiwan's experience should be acknowledged.'

He believes the seabed has become a key strategic competition arena between nations. Cables, pipelines, and other undersea infrastructure are targeted because they are difficult to monitor continuously, attributing responsibility after damage is challenging, and any act of sabotage can have significant economic and security consequences.

Attrill is convinced that maintaining undersea security is no longer just a defense issue but a matter of national resilience for Australia. Therefore, Australia should cooperate with Taiwan. He said, 'There is a need for increased investment to have better seabed mapping systems, stronger monitoring systems, faster repair capabilities, closer relationships with regional partners, and, where appropriate, pragmatic cooperation with capable partners like Taiwan.'

He emphasized that Taiwan's long-term exclusion from international bodies makes it difficult for the international community to share Taiwan's experience. He stated, 'UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 neither determines Taiwan's status nor stipulates that Taiwan cannot cooperate with other countries on practical security issues. The Beijing authorities have distorted Resolution 2758 to exclude Taiwan from almost all international cooperation, increasing the burden on all countries in their governance practices.'

Attrill believes that democratic nations should explicitly oppose China's distortion of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758. (Editor: Wei Shu) 1150605