Two US senators on Tuesday submitted a bill advocating for Taiwan’s inclusion in the WHO, after a corresponding bill in the US House of Representatives was passed unanimously last week.
Senate Taiwan Caucus cochairs James Inhofe and Robert Menendez proposed bill S. 249 “calling for the [US] secretary of state to develop a strategy for Taiwan to regain observer status in the WHO ahead of its annual global assembly later this year.”
The bill is cosponsored by nine Republican and Democratic senators: John Cornyn, Marco Rubio, John Boozman, Bill Cassidy, James Lankford, Ed Markey, Sherrod Brown, Joe Manchin and Mike Rounds.
The bill’s introduction came just days after the House passed bill H.R. 353, which would require the secretary of state to detail Washington’s efforts to help Taiwan regain observer status in the WHO in an annual report.
It also coincided with a WHO executive board meeting, which began on Thursday last week and is to end tomorrow, during which representatives from the US, Japan and six of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies have spoken up for Taiwan’s inclusion in the world body.
Taiwan has not received an invitation to the World Health Assembly (WHA) for two consecutive years due to Chinese pressure. It was invited to attend the annual forum as an observer from 2009 to 2016.
This year’s WHA is to be held from May 20 to May 28 in Geneva.
“Actively working to include Taiwan in the WHA will go a long way in checking China’s efforts to enact their expansionist agenda through international organizations,” Inhofe said in a news release.
Taiwan has long shown its commitment to world health and has earned a seat at the table in all international bodies, especially those in which they have shown substantial positive leadership, he said.
China’s efforts to isolate Taiwan, especially when it comes to issues such as global health, cannot go unanswered, Menendez said.
“The US must support Taiwan’s standing in the international community and stand by our friends in Taiwan,” he said, adding that the legislation seeks to reaffirm Washington’s commitment to the well-being of Taiwanese and urge the US administration to develop a more coherent strategy to support Taiwan’s security.
Having worked closely with the international community on numerous initiatives, including the Ebola outbreak, Taiwan “absolutely should be able to participate in the WHO,” Markey said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked the US senators for their bipartisan support for the nation’s participation in international organizations, saying it would closely watch the development of S. 249.
It also pledged to do its utmost to secure an invitation to attend this year’s WHA as an observer.
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