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Bid to observe at WHA necessary: MOFA

The nation’s bid to be part of the World Health Assembly (WHA) is both necessary and “pragmatic,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday after the head of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) reportedly told a group of Japanese visitors on Monday that China would never accept Taiwan becoming part of the health body.

Department of International Organizations head Lin Yong-le (林永樂) said the nation’s request for WHA observer status was “most appropriate because the health rights of the 23 million people of Taiwan must be safeguarded.”

“Applying for WHA observer status is the most pragmatic approach because Taiwan is not seeking full membership in the World Health Organization,” Lin said, stressing the importance of increasing participation by Taiwanese medical experts at WHO technical activities.

Taiwan’s membership at the WHO was revoked in 1979. Since 1997, Taiwan has been trying to re-enter the organization by applying for observer status at the WHA, the supreme decision-making body of the WHO.

Taiwan also applied for full WHO membership last year, drawing strong objections from the US and the EU.

All attempts have been blocked by Beijing.

Lin also said the nation must participate directly in the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR), a global disease prevention system set up by the WHO to collect and communicate immediate and first-hand information on disease outbreaks.

Lin said that under the “universal application” clause of the IHR, Taiwan could not be excluded.

Hong Kong’s Wen Wei Po newspaper reported that TAO Chairman Wang Yi (王毅) said that although China would continue to block Taiwan’s applications to the WHO, it would look into setting up an international network that would be a “new framework” independent of the WHO to include Taiwan in information on disease outbreaks.

“The IHR framework should not be replaced by another network,” Lin said yesterday, adding that he did not know what Wang was talking about.

TAO Spokeswoman Fang Liqing (范麗青) said yesterday she could not verify what Wang meant.

However, as cross-strait talks have resumed, “all these problems can be discussed and resolved,” she said.
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