The government will continue its protest against the World Health Organization's (WHO) inclusion of Taiwan on maps of countries affected by the virulent H5N1 bird flu virus until a correction is made, health and foreign ministry official said yesterday.
There have been no reports of H5N1 infection in Taiwan among either poultry or humans. The WHO, which adheres to the "one China" policy, lists the nation as "Taiwan, a province of China" in official documents.
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Kau (
"This is an unbearable and unforgivable mistake," Kau said.
"We reserve our right to take legal action against the WHO. Even though the WHO might enjoy a certain measure of immunity because it is a UN organization, we could still take action if Taiwan incurs serious economic damage [as a result of the inclusion with China]," Kau said.
He said that the WHO had violated the International Health Regulations (IHR) by categorizing the nation as a bird flu affected area without confirming the facts with the Taipei authorities first.
Chang Wu-hsiu (張武修), director of the Department of Health's (DOH) Bureau of International Cooperation, said that the department had written a strongly-worded letter of protest to the WHO requesting that the mistake be corrected immediately.
The DOH also requested that related medical periodicals correct any mistaken reports stemming from the WHO listing, Chang said.
The matter has been clarified with Japan, the US and Singapore, which are working closely with Taiwan in keeping the disease at bay, Chang added.
The WHO said yesterday that it would look into the matter following a written protest filed by the nation's representative in Geneva.
In a letter that was sent to the WHO Secretariat on Wednesday, Representative to Geneva Shen Lu-hsiun (沈呂巡) said that listing Taiwan as an area affected by the H5N1 strain of the virus because the WHO considers Taiwan a province of China was absolutely unacceptable.
Shen demanded that the WHO correct the mistake at once.
During a press conference held yesterday morning in Geneva, the WHO clarified that Taiwan is not an affected area.
WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl held the press conference in response to media inquiries.
In response to a question on why Taiwan is the same color as China on its bird flu maps, WHO officials replied that this was done because the organization regards Taiwan as a province of China.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from