TAIPEI, Taiwan — As the United Nations General Assembly convenes in New York, Taiwan, a democracy of 23 million people without U.N. representation, is making its case to be heard.

To say it has its work cut out for it would be putting it mildly.

China, which insists that Taiwan is part of its territory, is a major power at the U.N., not least because of its veto as a permanent member of the Security Council. Barring seismic political shifts in Beijing, Taiwan won’t be joining the United Nations anytime soon.

“Taiwan deserves to have a role in the United Nations, just as any other country in the world,” Taiwan’s foreign minister, Joseph Wu, said in an interview last week.

Although Taiwan’s voice is absent from the United Nations, some members do speak up for it. Among them are the 17 countries, including Haiti, Paraguay and the Marshall Islands, that have formal diplomatic ties with Taipei.