The US, Japan and three other countries have added their support for Taiwan’s inclusion in the WHO at an ongoing meeting of the world body’s executive board in Geneva, Switzerland.
US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Global Affairs Deputy Director Colin McIff on Monday urged the WHO during the meeting to allow Taiwan to participate in relevant technical activities.
“As the WHO leads the global response to health emergency, including the ongoing outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of [the] Congo, it is critical that the organization be able to engage the technical expertise and financial resources from all interested parties,” McIff said.
Photo: AP
The US was pleased when Taiwan offered to contribute US$1 million to combat Ebola last year, but was disappointed that the WHO has not found a way to accept the contribution, McIff said.
The government last month suspended the donation it pledged in May last year, after the WHO convention secretariat was unable to credit Taiwan in a way that it would find acceptable due to “political factors.”
The “participation of Taiwan in relevant technical work of WHO is beneficial to all,” McIff said.
Supporting Taiwan in an indirect manner, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Senior Coordinator for Global Health Hiroyuki Hori called on the WHO to refrain from leaving anyone behind.
“As the world has become more globalized and the threat of infectious diseases that may spread beyond borders has become increasing, we assume that we should not make a geographical blank by leaving a specific region behind,” Hori told the meeting.
Meanwhile, three of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies also advocated for Taiwan’s cause at the meeting, despite the nation’s decision not to push for a formal proposal advocating for its inclusion in the WHO at this year’s meeting.
Solomon Islands Ambassador to the UN Barrett Salato told members of the executive board that millions of people in Taiwan could be vulnerable in the event of an outbreak, which could pose threats to people from other nations.
“Taiwan is a willing partner... We urge the WHO to invite Taiwan to participate meaningfully in all WHO meetings and programs in order to share its technical expertise and experience in global health emergency and humanitarian efforts,” Salato said.
Guatemala’s representative thanked Taiwan for expanding its cooperation with his country on healthcare and medicine accessibility for pregnant women, while Nicaragua’s representative said that the absence of representation for Taiwan’s 23 million people in the WHO could cause a vulnerability in the global health network.
Their support followed similar gestures by Taiwan’s diplomatic allies Eswatini, Haiti and Paraguay at an executive board meeting on Saturday.
Taiwan was able to attend the annual World Health Assembly as an observer from 2009 to 2016, when cross-strait relations were more amicable, but it has not received an invitation for two consecutive years.
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
Japan and the Philippines yesterday signed a defense pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering a military response. Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East and South China
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
PAPERS, PLEASE: The gang exploited the high value of the passports, selling them at inflated prices to Chinese buyers, who would treat them as ‘invisibility cloaks’ The Yilan District Court has handed four members of a syndicate prison terms ranging from one year and two months to two years and two months for their involvement in a scheme to purchase Taiwanese passports and resell them abroad at a massive markup. A Chinese human smuggling syndicate purchased Taiwanese passports through local criminal networks, exploiting the passports’ visa-free travel privileges to turn a profit of more than 20 times the original price, the court said. Such criminal organizations enable people to impersonate Taiwanese when entering and exiting Taiwan and other countries, undermining social order and the credibility of the nation’s
RSS