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EDITORIAL: WHA’s invitation is sweet poison

One short faxed letter from WHO Director-General Margaret Chan (陳馮富珍) inviting “Chinese Taipei” to participate in this month’s World Health Assembly (WHA) brought an end to 13 years of disappointment on Tuesday when Taiwan finally achieved its goal of representation at the WHO.

The government predictably patted itself on the back, attributing the watershed to its “modus vivendi” policy of not provoking China, and sought to demonstrate that it had not compromised Taiwan’s sovereignty to gain this achievement.

But at what cost was this “breakthrough” achieved?

The very fact that Taiwan had to be invited and was not admitted in the usual manner is the first cause for concern. The invitation came after secret negotiations last month between representatives from Taipei and Beijing. And while many in Taiwan will be pleased with the result, it is imperative that the government stick to its March 13 promise that it will release information at an appropriate time about how this was achieved.

Unlike China, Taiwan is a democracy, in which transparency is essential for accountability. The public needs to know if the government is — as it says — acting in their best interests and that this was not the result of more secretive meetings between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party.

People should not be content with reassurances that this is just the latest example of Beijing’s “goodwill” if such goodwill is conditional on the Taiwanese government considering itself part of China.

While “Chinese Taipei” may be an acceptable name to the government, to the rest of the world it implies that Taiwan is under Beijing’s heel.

The so-called increase in Taiwan’s international breathing space is nothing of the sort.

By becoming a non-state observer — China will not allow any other form of membership — and not a full member of the WHO, Taiwan puts itself in the same company as the Palestinian territories and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

It is far short of the stated goal of most Taiwanese: admission to the WHO as a member state. Is this how most of them view their country, and what they envisioned when they said they wanted meaningful participation?

Another problem is that the invitation only applies to this year. Fears that the invitation will need renewing on an annual basis seem to have been confirmed. This is a worrying development as it means Beijing will now have the ability to hold Taiwanese and their health concerns to a form of ransom. How long will it be before we start seeing election slogans such as “Vote KMT, stay in the WHA?”

While many people may be happy about what they see as the fruits of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) cross-strait labor, they may not be so ecstatic when they realize this government has pushed them another step toward unification.
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