Health and diplomatic officials yesterday defended the government’s participation at the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer after former health minister Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said the nation’s participation in WHO-related activities remained limited.
At a press conference held by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus at the legislature, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) said the nation had had more interaction with members of the WHO since Taiwan was invited to attend the WHA as an observer last year.
“We believe this is a specific development and we also hope we can increase the nation’s medical and health cooperation with other countries so that Taiwan can make a bigger contribution to the world,” Lin said.
Vice Minister of Health Chang Shan-chwen (張上淳) said that Taiwan was able to receive first-hand epidemic information from the WHO and its member states over the past year.
“We successfully obtained information related to A(H1N1) during its outbreak, vaccine strains to help produce the A(H1N1) vaccine and virus strains to help us understand the virus,” Chang said.
The KMT called the press conference after Chen, who participated at the WHA last year as an expert, said Taiwan still did not enjoy equal status, nor could it fully interact with the organization’s members.
Chen said the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer asked him last year to recommend Taiwanese experts to write books on esophageal cancer, but the agency later regretted the decision because it had to seek China’s consent.
Taipei received an invitation from the WHO Secretariat this week to attend this year’s WHA meeting in May as an observer using the name “Chinese Taipei.”
It will be the second year Taiwan has been invited to attend the conference.
The invitation was faxed to Department of Health Minister Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良), although Yaung was referred to as “Minister of the Department of Health [DOH]” while Taiwan was referred to as “Chinese Taipei.”
“The format of the invitation is the same as last year. The only difference was the letter to [Taiwan] and other WHO members and WHA observers were sent simultaneously,” Department of Health Vice Minister Hsiao Mei-ling (蕭美玲) said.
Last year, Taiwan received an invite on April 28, three weeks ahead of the meeting.
KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Hung-chih (林鴻池) gave credit to the government over the invitation, saying that it showed that the Ma administration had made some achievements in terms of obtaining more international space.
In related news, the DOH said yesterday its goal this year was to join the WHO’s International Food and Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN).
Taiwan’s participation would greatly enhance the country’s defense against substandard food products, said Juan Chuan-chuan (阮娟娟), director of the department’s Office of International Cooperation.
Juan said food safety has become a global concern and many countries are interested in sharing experiences and information, boosting Taiwan’s chances of being admitted to the group.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JENNY W. HSU
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘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
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
A fugitive in a suspected cosmetic surgery fraud case today returned to Taiwan from Canada, after being wanted for six years. Internet celebrity Su Chen-tuan (蘇陳端), known as Lady Nai Nai (貴婦奈奈), and her former boyfriend, plastic surgeon Paul Huang (黃博健), allegedly defrauded clients and friends of about NT$1 billion (US$30.66 million). Su was put on a wanted list in 2019 when she lived in Toronto, Canada, after failing to respond to subpoenas and arrest warrants from the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. Su arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 5am today on an EVA Air flight accompanied by a
RSS