Japan's Sankei Shimbun newspaper said in yesterday's editorial that the spread of SARS around the world has highlighted the importance of admitting Taiwan to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The prestigious newspaper said China, which has persistently obstructed Taiwan's efforts to join the WHO, will benefit from Taiwan's participation in the organization.
China continued to obstruct Taiwan's bid to join the WHO even after Taiwan began in 1997 to ask for permission to attend the World Heath Assembly as an observer.
The exclusion of Taiwan from the WHO has given rise to human rights and humanitarian concerns, the editorial said. More than 80 Taiwanese people died from a contagious disease in 1989, deaths which could have been avoided if Taiwan were given assistance by the WHO, it claimed.
The editorial said that medical treatment and health services should not be limited by national boundaries and that health and politics should not be mixed. The principle of fair play is enshrined in the charter of WHO, it pointed out.
Many Japanese, American and European government and parliamentary leaders have voiced their support for Taiwan's bid to join the WHA as an observer, the editorial said.
If China gives up its objection to Taiwan's participation in the organization, it will be able to increase cross-strait exchanges and show the world that the Beijing leadership led by Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) is able to leave behind its rigid dogma and follow a more flexible political line, it added.
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
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An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
Advocates of the rights of motorcycle and scooter riders yesterday protested in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei, making three demands. They were joined by 30 passenger vehicles, which surrounded the ministry to make three demands related to traffic regulations — that motorcycles and scooters above 250cc be allowed on highways, that all motorcycles and scooters be allowed on inside lanes, and that driver and rider training programs be reformed. The ministry said that it has no plans to allow motorcycles on national highways for the time being, and said that motorcycles would be allowed on the inner