A new bill sponsored by US Representative Sherrod Brown calling for a plan to endorse and obtain observer status for Taiwan at the annual summit of the World Health Assembly this coming May indicates renewed hope for Taiwan's WHO bid.
Headed by DPP Chairman Frank Hsieh (
Brown's aides noted that they were looking for additional sponsorship for a bill to support Taiwan's entry in the WHO, which may be introduced in Congress on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Lee Ming-liang (
Lee will be joining Brown and other lawmakers in a breakfast meeting today to win greater support from Capitol Hill for Taiwan's participation in the WHO.
The bill proposes that the US secretary of state initiate a plan to endorse and obtain observer status for Taiwan at the annual week-long summit of the WHO assembly in May in Geneva, Switzerland.
The bill stipulates that the secretary of state should submit a written report to Congress containing the plan no later than 14 days after enactment of the bill.
Sources said more than a dozen lawmakers have already signed on to co-sponsor the bill, including Representative Henry Hyde, chairman of the powerful House International Relations Committee.
Brown introduced a similar bill last March, but no progress toward its passage was made.
Taiwan has been lobbying for WHO membership for many years, and although it has won great sympathy and support on Capital Hill, no substantial progress has been achieved.
Last October, the Department of Health in Taiwan was offended by a decision by the WHO to leave Taiwan off a list of a polio-free countries that was released in Japan. China was on the list, and Taiwan was included as a part of China.
Lee protested that "the success of polio eradication in Taiwan does not equate to China's situation."
Taiwan officials and Taiwan lobby groups such as the Formosa Association for Public Affairs said that they understand it is impossible to get US support for Taiwan's UN entry.
However, many of them believe that there is a window of opportunity with the Bush administration, as his team acknowledges Taiwan should have more international space and is likely to review US-Taiwan relations sometime in the next few months.
The officials and lobbyists said they are optimistic about gaining observer status in the WHO, though they say endorsement of Taiwan's full membership is still unlikely.
They hope to get the bill passed before May and are expecting further breakthroughs in Taiwan's participation in international organizations in the near future.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS