The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday it is working hard to persuade the UN Office in Geneva to issue press passes to Taiwanese journalists to cover the 58th World Health Assembly (WHA), which is scheduled to take place in Geneva from May 16 to May 25.
In a statement, the ministry "strongly protested" the Geneva office's rule that only journalists holding passports from states recognized by the UN General Assembly will get media accreditation for the WHA.
Taiwan will lodge its 9th application for observer status in the WHA next Monday. The WHA meets annually and is the highest decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO).
UN officials in Geneva, however, rejected Taiwanese reporters' applications for press badges to cover the event and told them they could not get media accreditation because they are not from a state recognized by the UN General Assembly.
"It is the belief of the ministry that the UN should respect the universal value of press freedom. The UN should protect journalists' rights and should not fail to do so because of political pressure," the ministry statement said.
Criticizing China as the "mastermind" behind the UN Geneva office's refusal to accredit Taiwanese journalists, the ministry said this situation revealed that China has not been sincere when repeating its "goodwill" toward the Taiwanese people in recent days.
"It is simply pursuing a two-faced strategy on Taiwan," the ministry said.
Ministry spokesman Michel Lu (
The ministry said that since the Geneva office refused to issue press passes to Taiwanese journalists during last year's WHA, it instructed the country's representative offices in New York, where UN headquarters are located, and in Geneva to try to negotiate with UN information officials on the issue prior to this year's WHA.
"But the UN still succumbs to political pressure and sacrifices press freedom, which it has been actively advocating, in order to seek compromise in international politics.
The ministry is very disappointed and finds the matter deeply regrettable," the statement said.
MOFA stressed that the UN has no right to express its opinions on Taiwan's national status.
"Currently, there are 25 UN member states or observers that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan. This is an undeniable fact and the UN should respect this," the ministry said.
MOFA said it is unheard of for the UN to block journalists from covering UN-related events because they hold passports issued by states that are not members of the UN.
It pointed out that Swiss reporters did not have any problems getting media accreditation covering UN events before Switzerland joined the UN as a member.
UN information officials once told Taiwanese diplomats in private that they have "other considerations" in handling media accreditation for Taiwanese journalists in the WHA, the ministry said.
"China not only oppresses press freedom in its own land but also stretches its hand into the UN, depriving Taiwanese journalists of their rights. Voices from all sides should criticize such behavior," the ministry said in the statement.
The ministry said it is soliciting support from international journalists' associations for Taiwanese reporters.
Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain, while crowds in Taipei braved the elements to watch Taipei 101’s display. South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks struck midnight in Auckland, with a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball was to drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from the 240m Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
RSS