The US Department of State yesterday urged Taiwan to focus on meaningful participation in the WHO.
Following a lengthy discussion on the feasibility of Taiwan's entry into the WHO, a State Department official gave a background briefing to Taiwanese media yesterday, saying that since the US did not support Taiwan's participation in international organizations whose membership requires statehood, the US government would not back Taiwan's plan to become a WHO member state.
The official said the decision corresponds with President Chen Shui-bian's (
When asked if the US would vote for Taiwan's application to join the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer, the official said he could not answer hypothetical questions.
The official also issued a prepared statement saying that the US strongly supports Taiwan's meaningful participation in organizations that require no statehood.
Because membership of the WHO requires statehood, and the US has in the past strongly encouraged Taiwan to focus on meaningful participation in the WHA, the statement said.
The US strongly encourages Taiwan and the international community to focus on Taiwan's meaningful participation in the WHA, since if Taiwan fails to participate in a meaningful manner, the 23 million of people of Taiwan would not have the opportunity to make substantial contributions to various health programs, thereby preventing Taiwanese people from benefiting, it said.
The official reiterated the long established US policy that Washington does not support Taiwanese independence and opposes any attempt by either side of the Taiwan Strait to change the status quo unilaterally, saying that Chen has repeatedly pledged that no pressure, international or domestic, would change his commitment to the "four noes."
The official also said that applying for membership as a nation in any organization where statehood is a membership requirement is inconsistent with Chen's pledge that he would not change the national title. He added that Chen's promises were very important to regional peace and stability and were a test of his statesmanship.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
PLANNED: The suspect visited the crime scene before the killings, seeking information on how to access the roof, and had extensively researched a 2014 stabbing incident The suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei on Friday had planned the assault and set fires at other locations earlier in the day, law enforcement officials said yesterday. National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said the suspect, a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen (張文), began the attacks at 3:40pm, first setting off smoke bombs on a road, damaging cars and motorbikes. Earlier, Chang Wen set fire to a rental room where he was staying on Gongyuan Road in Zhongzheng District (中正), Chang Jung-hsin said. The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
RSS