The government yesterday denounced Taiwan’s exclusion from this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA), but said it would still send a delegation to Geneva, Switzerland, at the time the 10-day conference is being held.
Taiwan had hoped to once again attend the WHA, to be held in Geneva from May 22 to May 31, as an observer, but it did not receive an invitation from the WHO by the deadline on Monday for online registration because of Chinese obstruction.
The WHA is the WHO’s decisionmaking body.
Photo: CNA
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Eleanor Wang (王珮玲) said that Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) would lead a delegation to Geneva at the time of the WHA.
If the delegation is not allowed to enter the conference venue, it would still take the opportunity to hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines with delegations of participating nations, Wang said.
Taiwan would have several opportunities to exchange views on global health issues with representatives from other nations during the WHA, she said.
The ministry also said in a statement that if the WHO “succumbs to political pressure” and ultimately decides not to invite Taiwan to the WHA, it would affect the health rights of the 23 million Taiwanese and create a serious gap in the international health system.
At a separate news conference yesterday, Chen said that “the main purpose of attending the WHA is to protect the health and safety of all Taiwanese,” adding that Taiwan also hopes to provide professional, substantial and meaningful contributions to help protect the health and safety of people around the world.
Chen said that if he comes across China’s representative on the sidelines of the WHA, he would stress the importance of Taiwan’s participation in light of global efforts to combat epidemics.
Meanwhile, the Mainland Affairs Council strongly protested China’s obstruction of Taiwan’s participation at the meeting.
In a statement yesterday, the council accused Beijing of using “unilateral political reasons” to exert pressure on the WHO and block it from extending an invitation to Taiwan to attend this year’s WHA.
“The Mainland Affairs Council expresses strong discontent and protests this suppression of our government in violation of the mission of the WHO, as well as the rights and interests of Taiwan’s 23 million people,” the council said.
Beijing has been obstructing the nation’s bids to take part in the International Civil Aviation Organization and the WHO in an attempt to exert pressure on Taipei to achieve its political objectives, it said.
“We will never succumb to Beijing’s pressure, but will continue to make our voice heard in the international community, and fight for our right to participate in the WHA and other international organizations,” the council said.
Saying that the nation’s participation in the WHA was highly anticipated by Taiwanese, the council urged Beijing to carefully consider the consequences of the move and the possible damage it could cause to cross-strait relations.
Additional reporting by Lee I-chia
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS: Several of the PLA fighter jets that crossed the median line of the Strait came within 68km of Hsinchu, drawing warnings from Taiwan, the ministry said At least 18 Chinese military aircraft yesterday flew into the nation’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on the second day of a US delegation’s visit, the Ministry of National Defense said, adding that the military responded by deploying an air defense missile system to monitor their activities. A delegation led by US Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Keith Krach on Thursday started a three-day visit to Taiwan. The ministry from Thursday started publicizing the actions of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Taiwan’s ADIZ on its Web site and Twitter. According to ministry reports, 18 PLA aircraft
TWO CASES: The five allegedly conspired with conglomerates, threatening the nation’s governance and subverting the rules of ethical conduct, a deputy chief prosecutor said Taipei prosecutors yesterday charged three legislators and one former lawmaker with contravening the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例) in a case linked to former Pacific Distribution Investment Co (太平洋流通) chairman Lee Heng-lung’s (李恆隆) battle with the Far Eastern Group (遠東集團) over ownership of the Pacific SOGO Department Store (太平洋崇光百貨) chain, while independent Legislator Chao Cheng-yu (趙正宇) was indicted in a separate case involving two funeral services companies and a plot of land in a national park. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators Chen Chao-ming (陳超明) and Sufin Siluko (廖國棟), Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Su Chen-ching (蘇震清) and former New Power Party legislator
PENGHU INSPECTION: Taiwan cannot let its enemies strut around in its airspace, Tsai said, one day after a Chinese spokesman denied a median line exists in the Taiwan Strait Following China’s assertion on Monday that there is no “median line” in the Taiwan Strait, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday pledged to defend the nation’s airspace during a visit to an air force base in Penghu, saying that Taiwan cannot allow others to flex their military muscle in its territorial airspace. Tsai praised the “heroic performance” of the pilots of the Indigenous Defense Fighters who have been intercepting Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force planes in recent days. “I have a lot of confidence in you. As soldiers of the Republic of China [ROC], how could we let enemies strut
Swedish Member of Parliament Hampus Hagman is pushing for changing the name of the nation’s trade office in Taipei to signal improved relations with “Asia’s perhaps foremost democracy.” Hagman on Wednesday last week proposed renaming the Swedish Trade and Invest Council to “Sweden’s Office in Taipei,” following similar changes by other nations. The Swedish Trade and Invest Council, part of Business Sweden, is owned by the Swedish government and Swedish industry. Taiwan and Sweden share important values such as respect for democracy, human rights, the rule of law and freedom of speech, Hagman said in the motion, adding that the two nations
RSS