Finally, MOFA hopes that Thompson will speak after the health assembly when the EU is slated to explain why it had collectively voted in opposition to Taiwan's application.
While Director General of the Department of Health Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said "We shall overcome" on the eve of the assembly vote, the only other time that placement of Taiwan's application on the agenda was voted on in the health assembly had led to a landslide win for China.
The 1997 vote saw 128 members voting against Taiwan, and only 19 for Taiwan.
In addition, three allies at the time, Panama, the Bahamas and Costa Rica, abstained from voting. South Africa, still a diplomatic ally then, voted against Taiwan. Belize, not an ally yet in 1997, also voted against Taiwan.
To date, Niue and the Cook Islands retain full membership in the WHO without UN membership. Palestine, the Holy See and the Red Cross have all been invited to observe WHA proceedings.
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