Taiwan’s representative office in Geneva on Saturday said that it was grateful to countries that have shown support for the nation’s participation in WHO events, following a statement by China reiterating its long-held opposition to Taiwan’s involvement in international organizations without its consent.
The office issued a statement thanking foreign governments, members of the US Congress and friends for supporting Taiwan’s involvement with the WHO and its attendance at the upcoming World Health Assembly (WHA), the decisionmaking body of the WHO.
It also rejected the statement from the Chinese mission to the UN, which repeated its position that Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, including the WHO, requires the consent of Beijing.
Photo: Reuters
The statement was released in the wake of a number of world powers, including the US and Japan, renewing their support for Taiwan’s participation in the WHA.
The WHA is to hold its 73rd session from May 17 to 21, although it might be held virtually due to travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The US has strongly backed Taiwan’s WHA bid, and in a teleconference between US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar and Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) last week, Azar said that Washington supported it.
China’s permanent mission to the UN on Saturday criticized the US-Taiwan teleconference.
“This is a serious breach of the one-China principle and the provisions of the Three Joint Communiques between the United States and China, as well as the one-China principle affirmed in United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 and World Health Assembly Resolution 25.1,” it said in a statement. “By doing so, the US politicizes the epidemic prevention and sends a very wrong signal to secessionist forces in Taiwan, China. China firmly opposes it.”
In response, Taiwan’s office in Geneva said that the two resolutions “only deal with the issue of China’s representation and do not say Taiwan is a part of China,” and they do not settle the issue of Taiwan’s participation in the UN, nor do they authorize China to represent it in the UN.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday also issued a statement on the matter, saying that participation in the WHO is the hope of the vast majority of Taiwanese.
The KMT said that it hopes the statement by the Chinese mission does not represent Beijing’s final decision, and urged its decisionmakers not to overlook Taiwanese’s right to health because of political disagreements.
It also urged the Democratic Progressive Party administration to “try to face up to and deal with the crux of cross-strait relations” and to exhaust all “reasonable” and “legal” ways of seeking participation in or a return to the WHO.
Additional reporting by Sherry Hsiao
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
Carrefour Taiwan is to begin using a new name from the start of July, but it cannot divulge the name until then, the chairman of the supermarket chain's parent company said today. President Chain Store Co chairman Lo Chih-hsien (羅智先) was asked by reporters after a shareholders' meeting to confirm whether the company has settled on a new name for the supermarket brand. In March, the government-registered name of two Carrefour Taiwan branches was quietly changed to "Le Chia Kang" (樂家康) in Chinese, raising speculation that has been selected as the name. Lo said that because of local regulations and contractual obligations, the
The Philippines would likely be involved in any conflict over Taiwan due to its proximity to the democracy claimed by China, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said, reiterating a stance that risks angering Beijing. “In the Philippines, we do not have a choice because Taiwan is so close to the Philippines and we have almost 200,000 Filipino nationals living and working in Taiwan,” Marcos said in an interview with Japanese media in Manila on Monday. The Philippine leader’s comments come ahead of a state visit to Japan next week, where he is to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to discuss security
RSS