The government has expressed its “deep displeasure” at not receiving an invitation to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) and being excluded from the decisionmaking body of the WHO for a fifth consecutive year.
In a joint letter of protest issued yesterday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Health and Welfare, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said that this year’s WHA is focused on the response to COVID-19, and building a healthier, safer and fairer world together.
“The recent escalation of the pandemic in Taiwan further shows that viruses know no borders. Taiwan cannot remain on the sidelines, and there should not be a gap in global disease prevention,” Chen said in the letter, which was also signed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮).
Photo: AFP
Not receiving an invitation to this year’s virtual WHA “is not only a loss for Taiwan, but also the rest of the world,” as the world needs all parties involved to share available information and expertise in the collective fight against disease.
Wu expressed regret over the WHO Secretariat’s “continued indifference to the health rights of Taiwan’s 23.5 million people.”
He also reiterated the government’s stance on China’s false claim that “appropriate arrangements have been made for Taiwan’s participation in the WHO.”
“The People’s Republic of China has never governed Taiwan, yet it continues to make distorted interpretations of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 and World Health Assembly Resolution 25.1, repeatedly misleading the international community,” Wu said.
Only Taiwan’s elected government can represent Taiwanese at the WHO, Wu said, urging the WHO to maintain “a professional and neutral stance, reject China’s political interference, and allow Taiwan to join WHO meetings, mechanisms, and activities.”
He also expressed gratitude for international support for Taiwan’s bid to be invited to the WHA as an observer, saying that the years-long effort has gained momentum.
For instance, foreign ministers from the G7 for the first time ever on May 5 issued a joint statement backing Taiwan’s bid to participate in the WHA, Wu said.
Despite the setback, Wu said Taiwan would continue to seek international support for its WHA bid “so that Taiwan can contribute its expertise and join in global endeavors to promote the health and safety of humankind.”
Meanwhile, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said in a statement yesterday it regrets that Taiwan did not receive an invitation to attend the WHA as an observer for the fifth consecutive year.
“The KMT urges the WHO and the international community to make global health governance the top priority and re-examine our nation’s request,” the KMT said.
“Especially at this critical moment when the world is working together to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, our absence from the WHA will have a negative impact on the health and safety of the 23.5 million Taiwanese, the effectiveness of global pandemic prevention and even the positive interaction between the two sides [of the Taiwan Strait],” it said.
The 74th edition of the WHA is being held virtually from yesterday to Tuesday next week.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday also protested to the WHO’s Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness after it twice identified Taiwan as “Taiwan, China” in a report presenting its findings and recommendations for action to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, and to ensure that any future infectious disease outbreak does not become another catastrophic pandemic.
Additional reporting by Sherry Hsiao
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol yesterday declared emergency martial law, accusing the opposition of being “anti-state forces intent on overthrowing the regime” amid parliamentary wrangling over a budget bill. “To safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements plundering people’s freedom and happiness, I hereby declare emergency martial law,” Yoon said in a live televised address to the nation. “With no regard for the livelihoods of the people, the opposition party has paralysed governance solely for the sake of impeachments, special investigations, and shielding their leader from justice,” he
The Mainland Affairs Council and lawmakers yesterday accused a visiting Chinese university student of denigrating Taiwan’s sovereignty by referring to the national baseball team that won a first-ever Premier12 title as “China, Taipei team” (中國台北隊). “We deeply regret the Chinese student’s words, that have hurt the feelings of Taiwanese... The Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, as the organizers, should remind group members not to use inappropriate words and behavior,” a council statement said. “We hope these young Chinese can accurately observe the true views of Taiwanese, which would be a positive development for interactions between young people on the two sides of the Taiwan
PHONE CALLS: Two US lawmakers told Lai about the US Congress’ bipartisan support for Taiwan to preserve its democracy and freedom, and for stronger bilateral ties US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said during a telephone call with President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday morning that recognition of Taiwan is at the core of the US’ Indo-Pacific strategy, Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said. The call marked the first time Lai had spoken directly with Johnson, of the Republican Party, since taking office in May. Lai also had a call with US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of the Democratic Party and a videoconference with Republican Senator Roger Wicker while in Guam, during a stopover on his way back from visiting the nation’s allies in the Pacific,
China is trying to set a "red line" for the incoming Trump administration and US allies by stepping up military activities in the region, a senior Taiwan security official said, including likely war games this weekend around Taiwan. China has held two rounds of war games around Taiwan so far this year, and its forces operate nearby on a daily basis. The official confirmed concerns expressed by other security officials in the region who have previously told Reuters that China could launch new drills to coincide with Taiwan President William Lai's (賴清德) trip to the Pacific this week which included visits to
RSS