The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked the World Medical Association (WMA) for supporting Taiwan’s participation in the WHO, which it again called on to maintain a professional and neutral stance and reject political interference from China.
The WMA General Assembly was held online in London from Monday through Friday.
The Chinese Medical Doctor Association (CMDA) raised a motion to prevent Taiwan’s participation in the WHO, but the motion was rejected 99-19 in a vote.
Photo: Reuters
The general assembly voted 91-16 in favor of a resolution supporting Taiwan’s participation in all WHO health programs, as well as the World Health Assembly, the WHO’s decisionmaking body.
The WMA is the world’s largest international organization representing physicians and consists of 115 national medical associations, the ministry said, adding that it has maintained close relations with the Taiwan Medical Association for many years.
The WMA in May 2005 adopted a resolution supporting Taiwan’s participation in the WHO and its inclusion in the International Health Regulations (IHR) mechanism, and the latest resolution is of great significance, the ministry said.
The proposal submitted by Taiwan this year was approved by the WMA’s professional committees and the WMA Council, before being submitted to the general assembly to be voted on, it said.
The CMDA tried to interfere with Taiwan’s proposal, but fortunately most of the WMA’s constituent members were consistent in supporting Taiwan’s participation in the WHO, the ministry said.
The resolution represents the competence and conscience of physicians worldwide, highlights the importance of Taiwan’s participation in the WHO to the global health network, and shows that the quality of Taiwan’s healthcare and the nation’s success in fighting COVID-19 under a democratic model has been recognized globally, the ministry added.
Democratic Progressive Party spokeswoman Hsieh Pei-fen (謝佩芬) yesterday said that the party expresses its sincere gratitude to the WMA, as the resolution not only shows support for Taiwan, but also a growing force of goodness from around the world.
Deputy Minister of the Interior Chen Tsung-yen (陳宗彥), who is deputy head of the Central Epidemic Command Center, said the center expresses its gratitude to the like-minded countries in the WMA that supported Taiwan.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS