The US on Monday said it is pleased to see Taiwan has received an invitation to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA), but avoided commenting on the WHO’s mention of the “one China” principle in the invitation letter.
US Department of State Office of Press Relations director Elizabeth Trudeau reiterated US support for Taiwan’s participation in the WHA when asked about the WHO’s invitation.
“We are pleased that Taiwan has received an invitation to this year’s World Health Assembly taking place May 23 through 28,” Trudeau said.
Taiwan has participated as an observer in the WHA for the past seven years, she said, adding that the US “strongly supports such WHA participation and Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the work of the World Health Organization-related activities.”
“Taiwan has made important contributions to global health, and its participation in the WHA and in the work of the WHO contributes to a safer, healthier world,” she said.
Asked about the mention of the “one China” principle in the invitation, Trudeau said the US remains committed to its “one China” policy based on the Three Joint Communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act, but she did not comment further.
Responding to an e-mail on the WHA invitation, US Department of State Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs spokeswoman Anna Richey-Allen said the future of cross-strait relations is for the people of both sides of the Taiwan Strait to decide.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
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The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
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