Once again, China has successfully blocked Taiwan's bid to join the WHO. Officials in Beijing are celebrating, but it is a hollow victory. Every member of the international community -- including China -- stands to lose from this decision.
The WHO was established in 1948. It's stated goal is "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health." According to the organization's charter, all countries may join the organization. But the world body is also open to so-called "non-state actors" such as the Palestinian Authority. And still others -- including Puerto Rico and Tokelau -- participate as "associate members."
Since 1997, Taiwan has sought admission to the WHO as an observer. This year Taipei even argued that it should be granted admission merely as a "health entity," not as a sovereign state. Nevertheless, China stubbornly opposes Taiwan's admission.
In the past, Beijing has argued that the drive to participate in the WHO is part of a grand conspiracy designed to promote Taiwan's de jure independence. However, as Taipei's campaign gains momentum (both the European Parliament and US Congress have passed bills supporting the initiative) Beijing is changing its tactics. China now argues that there is no need for Taiwan to participate in the WHO because it already enjoys a high standard of public health and has enough access to health information.
Ironically, Beijing's latest argument actually bolsters Taiwan's case for admission. Public health standards in Taiwan are high. Statistics show that Taiwan has much more to offer the international community in the area of public health than China.
Life expectancy -- a measure that reflects a nation's quality of nutrition, health and labor conditions -- is much higher in Taiwan than in China. A male in China is expected to live roughly 68 years while a male in Taiwan is expected to live 74 years. Women in China usually live 73 years while a woman in Taiwan is expected to live to 80 years. Infant mortality rates in Taiwan are a fraction of those found in China.
With a population of 1.2 bil-lion, China has more doctors than Taiwan. But Taiwan's medical professionals are much better trained. Not surprisingly, Chinese medical authorities have sought the assistance of Taiwanese specialists when performing complex operations. In February, physicians from Taiwan journeyed to Beijing to perform a liver transplant after receiving a request their Chinese counterparts who acknowledged that they lacked the skills required to save the patient's life.
Turning to public health care, it is clear that Taiwan is far superior to China. In 1995, the Legislative Yuan passed the National Health Insurance Act, providing universal medical coverage for all citizens who have resided in the country for more than four months. China's health-care system, on the other hand, continues to deteriorate steadily. The collapse of China's state-owned enterprise system has left millions without any medical coverage. According to some studies, 90 percent of China's rural population now has no medical coverage.
Beijing boasts that it provides immunizations for all its children. But this is an exaggeration. More reliable sources suggest that vaccination coverage has decreased to less than half of the population. Once again, conditions in Taiwan stand in sharp contrast to those in China. Taiwan has eradicated numerous infectious diseases and is the first country in the world to provide children with free hepatitis B vaccines.
Turning to the challenges posed by epidemics, Taiwan has aggressively sought to control the spread of AIDS. These efforts have yielded dividends as less than .015 percent of the population is infected. China, however, may soon confront an AIDS epidemic of biblical proportions.
According to China's Health Ministry, the number of reported infections of HIV in the first six months of last year was 67.4 percent higher than the same period in the previous year. The UN warns that over 20 million Chi-nese will be infected by the end of the decade.
What do these statistics tell us? They show that Taiwan's health-care system is far superior to China's system. They also indicate that Taiwan has a lot of expertise and knowledge that should be shared with members of the global community. Every country -- including China -- will gain when Taiwan is ultimately allowed to participate in the WHO.
Given the miracle of Taiwan-ese health care, it is obvious that Taiwan deserves to join the WHO. As for China, all available evidence suggests that it needs to participate in the WHO. Hopefully when Taiwan reapplies for admission to the WHO next year, it will be permitted to join.
Only then will the WHO live up to its claim to support "health care for all."
Dennis V. Hickey is the director of the Graduate Program in International Affairs and Admin-istration at Southwest Missouri State University. Mariesa Ho is a member of the World Affairs Council and a student at the university.
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
As Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s party won by a landslide in Sunday’s parliamentary election, it is a good time to take another look at recent developments in the Maldivian foreign policy. While Muizzu has been promoting his “Maldives First” policy, the agenda seems to have lost sight of a number of factors. Contemporary Maldivian policy serves as a stark illustration of how a blend of missteps in public posturing, populist agendas and inattentive leadership can lead to diplomatic setbacks and damage a country’s long-term foreign policy priorities. Over the past few months, Maldivian foreign policy has entangled itself in playing