Taiwan was not invited to the annual World Health Assembly (WHA) — the decisionmaking body of the WHO — for the ninth consecutive year, and a proposal by allies to invite the nation was rejected on Monday last week due to China’s objection.
Taiwan has been trying to join the WHO since 1997, and it only attended WHA sessions as an observer from 2009 to 2016 with the designation of “Chinese Taipei,” during the administration of then-president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), who signed several controversial agreements with China. Relations between Beijing and Taipei were warmer at the time.
However, since former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) took office in 2016, China has taken a hard-line approach in poaching Taiwan’s diplomatic allies and blocking the nation’s international participation.
Following consistent practices from previous years, the government this year sent a WHA action team led by health officials to Geneva, Switzerland, to half protest the WHO Secretariat, half campaign for international support. Efforts to increase the nation’s international recognition and visibility also included diplomats, civic groups and overseas Taiwanese holding events on the sidelines of the assembly.
On Monday last week, the WHA’s first day, the representative offices in Taiwan of eight nations — Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Japan, Lithuania and the UK — issued a joint statement to reiterate their support for Taiwan’s meaningful engagement with the WHO and participation as an observer at the WHA.
At the assembly, 11 of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies and 15 like-minded countries directly or indirectly voiced support for the nation’s participation.
Belize and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines represented allies and proposed to include Taiwan in this year’s WHA, arguing that China’s interpretation of UN Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1 are being misused, as they do not mention Taiwan, and “do not justify the exclusion of Taiwan, nor do they grant China the right to represent the Taiwanese people,” but the proposal was rejected.
Representatives of Germany, France, Japan and New Zealand, as well as allies Haiti and the Marshall Islands, voiced their backing for Taiwan’s participation during their opening remarks. The WHA action team attended more than 40 bilateral meetings, forums and news conferences, and Taiwanese civic groups held exhibitions, forums and rallies in Geneva to demonstrate the nation’s healthcare achievements and determination to contribute to global health.
Under China’s intensifying pressure on Taiwan, the WHA bid has always been a difficult challenge for the nation, but the government has not given up throughout the years.
The persistent efforts by the government and civic groups have over the past few years led to more countries and medical organizations voicing support for Taiwan’s international participation, with some even challenging China’s misuse of UN Resolution 2758.
However, the US’ withdrawal from the WHO, effective from January next year, and its call to create a global health cooperation network outside the WHO, might present new challenges for Taiwan.
Members of civic groups have expressed different opinions, with some seeing the US’ withdrawal as a positive opportunity for the WHO to reorganize, while some speculate that China might step in to fill the gap and make it even more difficult for Taiwan to join.
President William Lai (賴清德) on Saturday said Taiwan would continue its efforts to join the WHO, despite facing various challenges and the US’ withdrawal. With the impacts unclear, the government should keep a closer eye on the changes in the coming months, as it might need to readjust and prepare new strategies for next year’s WHA bid.
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