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.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all