The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was confident about seeking support from the US and from other WHO members, despite the opposition from China and concerns about Taiwan's bid for membership.
Meetings held in the past between US Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt and Minister of the Department of Health Hou Sheng-mou (
The meeting -- or lack thereof -- is considered a gauge of the US' attitude towards Taiwan's efforts to participate in the WHO. It has previously been held one day after Taiwan had been denied observer status at the WHA.
Although Leavitt expressed his support for Taiwan's new approach -- to apply for WHO membership instead of WHA observer rights -- the two sides were not planning to meet this year, Hou said.
"We didn't talk about meeting with each other this year. It's not an important matter on the agenda, as Mr Leavitt already wrote a letter to support our efforts," Hou said on Saturday night in Geneva, Switzerland, dismissing concerns that the US decided to cancel the meeting as a sign of disapproval.
Government officials acknowledged that the decision to seek WHO membership under the name "Taiwan" had made it more difficult to win the support of WHO members, but said the decision was the correct one.
"It is the road we must take, but there are different strategies to reach the goal," Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yang Tzu-pao (
"We are communicating a lot more with the US, Japan and the European Union this year," Yang said.
Despite the ministry's efforts, so far the US, Japan and the EU, which have voiced support for Taiwan's bid for observer status at previous WHA sessions, still only support "meaningful participation" in the WHO for Taiwan, Yang said, while declining to reveal details on the countries' responses.
Although WHO Director-General Margaret Chan (陳馮富珍) has said that Taiwan is ineligibile to apply for WHO membership, Yang said Taiwan's allies were still sending letters asking the WHA to place Taiwan's application on the agenda.
The nation's allies also said they would challenge the WHO secretariat's decision at the WHA, Yang said.
In addition to efforts to gain WHO membership, Hou said the government would not give up previous efforts to apply for WHA observer status and would continue to seek "meaningful participation" in WHO-related activities.
"A full membership in the WHO means 100 percent participation, but before we reach the goal, we can still push for meaningful participation. What qualifies as meaningful participation should be defined by us, not China," Hou said.
Hou said the government was focusing on meaningful participation in the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, food safety and international health regulations, and efforts to curb influenza and tuberculosis.
Meanwhile, in response to former premier Su Tseng-chang's (蘇貞昌) unexpected resignation, both Hou and Yang assured that the government's efforts to push for membership would not be affected.
"There could be a caretaker Cabinet, but there won't be caretaking on national interests. There might be some emotions, but our duties to fight for the country's interests on the battle field will never be affected," Yang said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
When Paraguayan opposition lawmaker Leidy Galeano returned from an all-expenses-paid tour of six Chinese cities late last year, she was convinced Paraguay risked missing out on major economic gains by sticking with longtime ally Taipei over Beijing — a message that participants on the trip heard repeatedly from Chinese officials. “Everything I saw there, I wanted for my country,” said Galeano, a member of the newly-formed Yo Creo party whose senior figures have spoken favorably about China. This trip and others like it — which people familiar with the visits said were at the invitation of the Chinese consulate in Sao Paulo
RSS