The US believes Taiwan is an exemplary partner in addressing the world’s challenges and invites more nations to voice support for expanding Taiwan’s international role, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said yesterday.
The US has helped expand Taiwan’s role in the international community and is happy to see more like-minded countries joining the effort, the institute said on Facebook.
“The United States continues to help expand Taiwan’s role on the world stage, and is eager to work with other like-minded countries to lobby international organizations to put health, security and economic prosperity above politics,” the post reads.
“We are happy to see Japan, Germany, Australia, Peru and the Czech Republic voice their support for Taiwan’s WHA bid. We believe Taiwan is an exemplary partner in addressing the world’s most serious challenges,” it added.
The post was made after China blocked Taiwan’s bid to attend the World Health Assembly (WHA) for the third consecutive year.
Taiwan had hoped to attend the assembly from Monday next week to May 28 in Geneva, Switzerland, as an observer, as it had done from 2009 to 2016.
China opposed Taiwan’s participation because of Taipei’s refusal to accept Beijing’s “one China” principle, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang (耿爽) said on Monday last week.
The US, Japan, the UK, Germany, France, Canada and Australia have expressed support for Taiwan’s participation in the WHA, the main decisionmaking body of the WHO.
Taiwan-friendly lawmakers in Italy, Peru, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have also voiced their support.
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