UN General Assembly
2001

product of around $14,000, annual trade of over $300 billion and a gross national product of $320 billion. Although the Republic of China is only the one hundred thirty-eighth largest country in the world in terms of lands and the forty-sixth largest in terms of population, it is today the world’s seventeenth largest economy, the fifteenth largest trading nation, the eighth largest investor, the fourth largest holder of foreign exchange and the third largest exporter of information technology products. Under our principle of universality, we cannot continue to exclude a country with such an impressive record of achievements. The time has come to open our doors to the Republic of China on Taiwan. The situation in Afghanistan calls for immediate action on the part of the United Nations to fill the power vacuum left by the departure of the ruling Taliban from the capital, Kabul. We must make sure that the new administration is representative of all factions and we must further ensure that the suffering and starving people receive immediate humanitarian