Twelve of Taiwan's allies have submitted a proposal to the World Health Organization (WHO) to include Taiwan's bid for observer status on the agenda of the health body's annual summit in Geneva next Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
The General Committee of the World Health Assembly (WHA) must discuss whether to add Taiwan's application to the agenda now that at least one member has proposed it, ministry spokesman Richard Shih (
Japan has promised to follow the US' lead and back Taiwan's bid, but Gary Lin (
Nevertheless, Lin said it was possible some of the 10 ASEAN member states would display a "neutral stance" concerning Taiwan's bid.
While ASEAN nations all adhere to the "one China" policy, some of them may not vote against Taiwan's application and some may withdraw from key sessions in the summit, according to Lin.
Most of Taiwan's allies in Latin America have pledged to speak for Taiwan's bid, the ministry reported in a legislative question-and-answer session yesterday.
Javier Hou (
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Kau (
Jich Wen-chich (
Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi (
"We still don't know who will be leading the Chinese delegation this time," Jich said.
Noting that all of Taiwan's allies will vote for the country's bid in the WHA, Jich said it was still difficult to calculate how many countries may vote in favor of Taiwan.
Five legislators and the Foundation of Medical Professionals Alliance in Taiwan, a long-time private lobby group for the country's WHA bid, will be departing for Geneva for the assembly tonight.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Bill Sun (
The legislative group and other members in the Taiwanese delegation will need to apply for permits to listen to the assembly proceedings in the public gallery.
"We are not sure whether we will be granted the permits," Sun said.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned