Lawmakers and world leaders on Tuesday joined a campaign using the hashtag #LetTaiwanHelp, calling for the nation’s participation in next month’s World Health Assembly (WHA).
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) launched the initiative with a video on Twitter featuring 15 lawmakers from 12 legislatures across Australia, Europe, New Zealand and North America.
The US Senate and House of Representatives committees on foreign affairs joined the alliance in spearheading the 48-hour campaign, which started at 10pm on Tuesday, Taiwan time.
Photo: Screen grab from Twitter
The WHA, the decisionmaking body of the WHO, is to hold its 74th annual meeting virtually from Geneva, Switzerland, from May 24 to June 1.
In the IPAC video, the lawmakers praised Taiwan’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, its donations of medical equipment and its support for global health initiatives.
Despite this, Beijing has continued to “politicize” global health by blocking Taiwan’s participation in the WHA, creating a “dangerous gap” in global health, while also depriving the world of Taiwan’s medical expertise, they said.
Photo: Reuters
“If Taiwan is left out, we all suffer. It’s time to #LetTaiwanHelp,” the group said, urging others to join the campaign by sharing the hashtag.
In a statement released by IPAC, French Senator Andre Gattolin said that Taiwan’s participation in the WHA “should not even be questioned,” given its vital role in the international community and assistance to other nations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
British lawmaker Iain Duncan Smith said that Beijing’s actions to “politicize global health” were “unacceptable,” and called on “the UK and the free world” to do more to support Taiwan on the international stage.
Lawmakers in the video included US Representative Ami Berra, chair of the House Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia and Nonproliferation; US Senator Marco Rubio; Duncan Smith; and Australian Senator Kimberly Kitching.
The campaign received support from officials worldwide.
The majority of posts came from US lawmakers, who flooded social media with the hashtag.
US senators Bob Menendez and Jim Inhofe urged their colleagues to pass a bill they reintroduced last month that would instruct the US Department of State to assist Taiwan in obtaining observer status at the WHA.
Czech Senator Pavel Fischer shared a resolution that would call on the Czech government to “challenge the WHO deadlock and allow Taiwan to take part” in the WHA.
Some of the nation’s diplomatic allies also lent their voices, including the leaders of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked the participants for their “avalanche of support.”
“Our gratitude to friends from democracies worldwide for recognizing #TaiwanCanHelp realize #HealthForAll,” it wrote on Twitter, using the WHO’s slogan.
In a separate statement it praised the “creative” collaboration that saw unprecedented participation from national leaders and representatives.
The campaign “demonstrates that Taiwan’s inclusion in the global health system is the consensus of most democratic nations,” it said, calling on the WHO to extend it an invitation to the WHA.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old