Joining the WHO under the name "Taiwan" is the will of the people of Taiwan, with 95 percent of the population supporting the idea, Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (黃志芳) said yesterday.
Huang made the remarks while attending a book presentation by the Taiwan International Health Action, an organization funded by the government that provides medical assistance to the nation's diplomatic allies.
Huang vowed he would make every effort to inform other countries of the great injustice of shutting Taiwan out of the health organization.
He said that for the past decade the government had applied to the WHO as an observer -- which the US and Japan supported -- and to "participate in a meaningful way" in WHO activities, as suggested by the EU.
Both approaches have proven unsuccessful, however, because of China's obstructionism.
Since 2005, when China signed a memorandum of understanding with the WHO allowing the country to have the final say on Taiwan's interactions with the organization, the situation has worsened for Taiwan, Huang said.
Some countries interpret meaningful participation -- the EU proposal -- as meaning that Taiwan should have the opportunity to participate in as many WHO-related meetings as possible, regardless of its official title or the circumstances, he said.
Even permission for specialists from Taiwan to attend meetings on technical issues has consistently been denied or delayed, he said.
Taiwan has become even more marginalized as a result and this is why it has decided to push for membership under the name "Taiwan," Huang said.
In a recent interview with CNN, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan (
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS