The executive or legislative bodies of more than 50 countries have expressed support for Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly (WHA) and other international organizations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement yesterday.
Eleven of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies have submitted a proposal to the WHO Secretariat calling for Taiwan to be invited to attend the WHA as an observer, it added.
The ministry also reiterated its call for the WHO Secretariat to maintain professionalism and neutrality, and to reject political interference from China.
Photo: CNA
The 79th WHA — which began yesterday in Geneva, Switzerland and ends on Saturday — brings together representatives of WHO member states to set global health policies and priorities.
For the 10th consecutive year, Taiwan has not received an invitation to attend, and China last week said that it would not agree to the “Taiwan region” participating in this year’s WHA.
Taiwan has not attended the WHA since 2016, when it participated as an observer during a period of warmer ties with Beijing.
Nevertheless, Taiwan has sent a delegation led by its health minister to Geneva every year to participate in bilateral meetings, forums, and campaign events on the sidelines of the WHA with civic groups and members of the medical community to gain international support for Taiwan’s inclusion.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) on Sunday said that Taiwan’s absence from the WHA is not only a global health issue, but also a diplomatic one, which is why medical experts from around the world participate in the events that Taiwan holds in Geneva to coincide with the WHA.
This year, Lin participated in the events alongside Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良), the first time a foreign minister had traveled to Geneva for the events, as well as the first time the two ministries had jointly held an expo there.
In his remarks at the opening ceremony for the Taiwan Smart Medical and HealthTech Expo, Lin said that through the expo, Taiwan hopes to demonstrate that it can make substantive contributions to global health resilience and show that “Taiwan can help and Taiwan is helping.”
The event’s slogan is “Who Cares? Taiwan Cares!” and the theme is “Chipping in with Taiwan,” which not only symbolizes Taiwan’s value to the world through its world-leading chips and artificial intelligence technology, but also stresses Taiwan’s critical role in smart healthcare supply chains, he said.
“I strongly urge the WHO Secretariat not to let political interference affect the organization’s professionalism and neutrality,” he said.
Shih added that “health is a fundamental human right” that “should never be subject to political conditions.”
“The exclusion of Taiwan from the global health system not only undermines this principle, but also creates unnecessary gaps in global health preparedness and response,” he said.
During a diplomatic reception on Sunday, the ministers thanked Taiwan’s diplomatic partners for their support of Taiwan’s bid to participate in the WHA, saying it has helped ensure Taiwan’s voice is heard internationally.
Attendees at the reception included Eswatini Minister of Health Mduduzi Matsebula, who said that “leave no one behind” is the cornerstone of an effective and equitable healthcare system, and therefore, the Kingdom of Eswatini would continue to advocate for Taiwan’s inclusion in the WHA, because “Taiwan can help, and Taiwan is helping.”
Tuvaluan Minister of Health and Welfare Tuafafa Latasi said that his country deeply values Taiwan’s contributions to global health.
“We will continue to support and advocate for the international community to recognize Taiwan’s important role here and meaningful contributions in promoting better health around the world,” he said.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday inaugurated the Danjiang Bridge across the Tamsui River in New Taipei City, saying that the structure would be an architectural icon and traffic artery for Taiwan. Feted as a major engineering achievement, the Danjiang Bridge is 920m long, 211m tall at the top of its pylon, and is the longest single-pylon asymmetric cable-stayed bridge in the world, the government’s Web site for the structure said. It was designed by late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid. The structure, with a maximum deck of 70m, accommodates road and light rail traffic, and affords a 200m navigation channel for boats,
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest foundry service provider, yesterday said that global semiconductor revenue is projected to hit US$1.5 trillion in 2030, after the figure exceeds US$1 trillion this year, as artificial intelligence (AI) demand boosts consumption of token and compute power. “We are still at the beginning of the AI revolution, but we already see a significant impact across the whole semiconductor ecosystem,” TSMC deputy cochief operating officer Kevin Zhang (張曉強) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “It is fair to say that in the past decade, smartphones and other mobile devices were
US-CHINA SUMMIT: MOFA welcomed US reassurance of no change in its Taiwan policy; Trump said he did not comment when Xi talked of opposing independence US President Donald Trump yesterday said he has not made a decision on whether to move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Trump’s comments on Taiwan came as he flew back to Washington after wrapping up critical talks in which both leaders said important progress was made in stabilizing US-China relations even as deep differences persist between the world’s two biggest powers on Iran and Taiwan. “I will make a determination,” Trump said, adding: “I’ll be making decisions. But, you know, I think the last thing we need right
TAIWAN ISSUE: US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on the first day of meetings that ‘it wouldn’t be a US-China summit without the Taiwan issue coming up’ There were no surprises on the first day of the summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, as the government reiterated that cross-strait stability is crucial to the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the world. As the two presidents met for a highly anticipated summit yesterday, Chinese state media reported that Xi warned Trump that missteps regarding Taiwan could push their two countries into “conflict.” Trump arrived in China with accolades for his host, calling Xi a “great leader” and “friend,” and extending an invitation to visit the White House
RSS