Minister of Health and Welfare Lin Tzou-yien (林奏延), head of the Taiwanese delegation at the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, yesterday shook hands with his Chinese counterpart Li Bin (李斌) of China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission.
The handshake reportedly took place outside the assembly chamber and was described as a “chance encounter.”
Lin said he personally felt the encounter was an extension of the Chinese delegation’s “goodwill,” adding that if one approached the issue “from a professional and practical angle, it was very natural that both would meet at the convention.”
Executive Yuan spokesperson Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said that the handshake was a mere formality, adding that the Taiwanese delegation is not ruling out in-depth interactions with other nations’ delegations on matters such as medical care and health.
Ministry of Health and Welfare spokesman Wang Che-chao (王哲超) said the two officials shook hands and exchanged swift, simple greetings.
It was reported that people in the Chinese delegation tried to block the media from taking pictures of the encounter.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the New Power Party (NPP) both said that the encounter was a positive development, while Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wu Ping-jui (吳秉叡) said the important question to ask is whether Lin told Li of Taiwan’s stance on matters.
KMT Legislator Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀) said the encounter might prove beneficial for future meetings, but that one “chance encounter” does not mean that Taiwan would be able to participate in other international conventions.
Lee said she hopes that the Republic of China’s (ROC) participation in international affairs would not diminish due to the transfer of power in Taiwan.
NPP Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐), who is part of the delegation, said he hoped relations would normalize between Taiwan and China to establish more solid and formal cooperation on global disease prevention.
NPP Legislative Yuan caucus convener Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) and People First Party caucus convener Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) said that interaction on higher levels of government in terms of medical care on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are required.
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