The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday remained guarded on the status of cross-strait negotiations over Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly (WHA), but insisted that no secret talks had been launched on the matter.
Asked about the timing, location, names and level of the representatives involved in the talks, Department of International Organizations Director-General Paul Chang (章文樑) said it would be “inappropriate” to share such information at the moment.
“For the time being, we believe that refraining from making substantive comments will help us with future negotiations,” he said, refusing to confirm or deny whether the talks had begun.
“But if both sides hold communication of any sort, the government will adhere to the principles of autonomy and dignity. We will not accept any arrangement that belittles or denigrates Taiwan,” said Chang, declining to elaborate on what would be considered unacceptable.
Chang said the government would announce the results of the negotiations once an agreement has been reached.
The 62nd annual WHA will convene from May 18 to May 27 in Geneva. President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has repeatedly said he was “optimistic” about Taiwan’s chances of obtaining observer status at the assembly.
In an interview with United Daily News last month, Ma said talks with Beijing on Taiwan’s bid would be held “next month” in a “third country.”
Chang denied a media report that said Taiwanese and Chinese officials had met in Singapore in February.
The pan-green camp has said that Beijing could insist that Taiwan be allowed to be an observer at the WHA on an annual basis. Such an arrangement, the Democratic Progressive Party said, would mean that Taiwan’s participation at the assembly would be subject to Beijing’s approval.
Chang said that WHA rules of procedures stipulate that the office of the WHO director-general must issue a notice to all assembly observers — such as the Holy See — prior to each annual meeting to confirm the size and members of their delegation.
Asked if Taiwan could be allowed in this year but barred from attending in subsequent years, Chang said that such an outcome had no precedent.
Rule No. 3 of the Rules of Procedure of the Health Assembly says: “Notices convening a regular session of the Health Assembly shall be sent out by the Director-General not less than 60 days … to members and associations, to representatives of the board and all participating intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations admitted into relationship with the Organization invited to be represented at the session.
“The Director-General may invite States having made application for membership, territories on whose behalf application for associate membership has been made, and States which have signed but not accepted the constitution to send observers to sessions of the Health Assembly,” it says.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by