As the annual meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO) next month approaches, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is still debating which name Taiwan should use in its bid to enter the UN-affiliated organization.
Given Taiwan's particular international status, there are official names the country uses in the international arena.
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But he would not be pinned down on a more precise explanation, saying that while it is standard practice to use "ROC," the foreign ministry would remain "flexible" on the issue.
"Since it is our diplomatic allies who bring up the [WHO] proposal, it is standard practice to use the formal name of ROC," Hsia told reporters.
"The name is not really an issue here. We are not at the stage where we have to make a final decision on the issue," he said.
The WHO will hold its annual meeting in Geneva beginning on May 15. This year marks Taiwan's fourth attempt to push for observer status in the World Health Assembly -- the WHO's plenary body.
Hsia also denied reports that the US is ready to submit a proposal at the WHO this year supporting Taiwan's participation in the international organization.
The "US position of lending only tacit support remains unchanged," he said.
In a January report to the US Congress, the State Department reiterated its policy that the US would not support Taiwan's entry into international organizations in which statehood is a prerequisite, such as the WHO, but would assist the country in gaining "meaningful participation."
The report pointed to the lack of international support and concluded that there is currently insufficient support among WHO members for Taiwan to obtain observer status.
It said that decision-making in most international organizations is based on consensus, "and international support for Taiwan's participation in international organizations has been extremely limited."
The WHO charter mandates that only "recognized sovereign states" can be added to its current list of 191 member states.
Observer status under the World Health Assembly does not require UN-recognized statehood, and even NGOs use this category to attend the body's annual assemblies.
The Holy See, Liechtenstein, the Palestinian Authority and the International Red Cross are among the observer members.
The only other option -- and one not applicable to Taiwan -- is an associate member status extended to countries without an independent foreign policy.
Puerto Rico, which is under US jurisdiction, participates under such status.
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