The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday called on global organizations not to suppress the right to work of Taiwanese over political factors after the World Bank reportedly required Taiwanese staff to provide Chinese-issued travel documents.
Headquartered in Washington, the World Bank is a part of the UN, but retains its independence, with goals to end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity. Its member states include China, but not Taiwan.
US news Web site Axios on Friday reported that the bank this year began asking current and prospective Taiwanese employees to present People’s Republic of China (PRC) travel documents to maintain or pursue employment.
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuen, Taipei Times
A post on the bank’s internal Web site in March showed that Taiwanese could be employed by the bank only if they held a PRC passport, while another last month written by an employee asked why the bank “quietly but systematically” forced its Taiwanese staff to accept PRC passports, the report said.
When contacted by Axios, the bank’s senior management expressed regret and said they took immediate steps to revise the practice, the report said.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said in a statement yesterday that the ministry is asking Taiwan’s international partners to push the World Bank to correct the practice.
In a separate statement later yesterday, Ou said that after checking with the World Bank through its international partners, the ministry confirmed that the bank had corrected the improper practice of requiring Taiwanese staff to use PRC passports.
The ministry affirms that the World Bank adheres to its own professionalism and principles, while protecting the rights of its Taiwanese staff, allowing them to contribute to the global community, she said.
The ministry called on all international organizations, including those that are part of the UN, not to suppress the right to work of Taiwanese based on political concerns, which would contravene the founding purposes of UN agencies, and bar Taiwanese from making contributions to the global community, Ou said.
In other news, the ministry yesterday welcomed a joint statement by US President Donald Trump and Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benitez on Friday that US International Development Finance Corp (USIDFC) would finance construction of a medical center in Asuncion and offer technical support along with Taiwan.
The ministry said that Taiwan in May helped Paraguayan women and economically disadvantaged groups develop businesses by working with the US Overseas Private Investment Corp (OPIC).
Following the successful collaboration with OPIC, Taiwan is willing to join hands with the USIDFC to help its ally boost its medical quality and general well-being, Ou said in a statement.
After the Jerovia Monte Sinai medical center is established in the Paraguayan capital, the US and the Inter-American Development Bank would offer financial resources to Paraguay, while Taiwan would offer medical training and services, she said.
Taiwan and Paraguay share universal values of democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law, while the two sides maintain close cooperation in areas of the economy, education, public health and infrastructure, she said.
Taiwan is pleased to continue working with like-minded countries such as the US and Japan to foster prosperity and development in allied nations, she added.
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