China and the World Health Organization (WHO) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) "facilitating" technical exchanges between Taiwan and the WHO on Saturday, but Taiwanese officials dismissed the agreement as "unacceptable."
It is understood that the Chinese delegation to the World Health Assembly (WHA), the WHO's highest decision-making body, visited WHO Director-General Lee Jong-wook and signed the MOU on Saturday afternoon.
Taiwan will launch its ninth bid for observer status in the WHA, which opens today and will run until May 25.
The WHO confirmed Taiwan is designated as "Taiwan, China" in the MOU, which regulates that Taiwan's technical exchanges with the WHO can only be arranged through Beijing.
Taiwanese officials working on the WHO bid in Geneva are trying to understand details of the MOU and evaluate how the agreement, signed only two days prior to the opening of the WHA, will affect Taiwan's application for observership.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said it will never accept the MOU if the pact encroaches on Taiwan's sovereignty or denigrates its national status.
The WHO and China showed no respect for Taiwan in the manner they reached the agreement, said Peter Chang (張武修), director-general of the Department of Health's Bureau of International Cooperation.
"China has no power whatsoever over Taiwan's health matters," Chang said.
"China and the WHO Secretariat have been secretly working on the MOU. Many countries have no idea why they were doing that," he said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chu Feng-chih (朱鳳芝), in Geneva for Taiwan's health bid, said Beijing has disappointed her.
Chu, who traveled with KMT Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kun (
Beijing repeated its "goodwill" towards Taiwan's bid when People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (
Several senior Chinese officials, including Jia Qinglin (賈慶林), chairman of China's People's Political Consultative Conference, promised the KMT delegation that Beijing's diplomats to discuss with WHO Director-General Lee Jong-wook about how to let Taiwan participate in the health body, Chu said.
"But being here in Geneva, we see absolutely no sign of China's goodwill. Its promise to help Taiwan join the WHO is merely words. If China really cares about the Taiwanese people's health, it should show its concern through actions," the legislator said.
"What we see here is that China is blocking our WHO bid in all aspects. We feel very disappointed and find it hard to trust China," Chu said before a dinner with more than 80 leaders of overseas Taiwanese businessgroups, who gathered in Geneva to back Taiwan's bid for entrance into the WHO.
It would be difficult for Taiwan and China to reach peace if they lack mutual trust, Chu said.
"We Taiwanese are not fools. If China really cares about us, it should let us join the WHO as an observer right now," she said.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chuang Suo-han (莊碩漢) said in Geneva that many people thought Taiwan might have a better chance to enter the WHO after Lien and Soong's trips to China. "But the reality shows us this is not so," he said.
also see story:
MOU poses a threat to WHO bid, officials say
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
HOTEL HIRING: An official said that hoteliers could begin hiring migrant workers next year, but must adhere to a rule requiring a NT$2,000 salary hike for Taiwanese The government is to allow the hospitality industry to recruit mid-level migrant workers for housekeeping and three other lines of work after the Executive Yuan yesterday approved a proposal by the Ministry of Labor. A shortage of workers at hotels and accommodation facilities was discussed at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee. A 2023 survey conducted by the Tourism Administration found that Taiwan’s lodging industry was short of about 6,600 housekeeping and cleaning workers, the agency said in a report to the committee. The shortage of workers in the industry is being studied, the report said. Hotel and Lodging Division Deputy Director Cheng
TOKYO SUMMIT: The new Japanese PM’s words have demonstrated Japan’s ‘firm position on urging the prioritization of cross-strait peace,’ the foreign ministry said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday thanked US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for supporting peace in the Taiwan Strait, a day after the two at a summit in Tokyo emphasized the importance of regional stability and ahead of a meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea today. The previous day’s meeting was the first time Takaichi had met with the US leader since becoming Japanese prime minister, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. Since taking office on Tuesday last week, Takaichi has urged the international community to
RSS