A secret memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between China and the WHO in 2005 directly affects Taiwan’s participation in the annual World Health Assembly (WHA) and other WHO-related events, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday.
Given the existence of the MOU, which Taiwan found out about in 2007, the nation needs greater international support for its bid to attend the WHA and participate in other WHO-related events, and to increase pressure on the WHO Secretariat and Beijing, Wu told lawmakers during a legislative session in Taipei.
“To overcome the hurdle represented by the MOU, we need stronger support from the international community, and so far this year, the atmosphere around the world has been increasingly in favor of Taiwan,” Wu said.
However, despite growing support for Taiwan’s WHA bid, Wu said it would be “extremely difficult” for the nation to secure an invitation to the annual meeting of the WHO’s decisionmaking body.
“However, we will not stop our efforts just because it is difficult to achieve,” he added.
Although the content of the MOU was never made public, Taipei has said it stipulates that the nation has to apply for WHO technical assistance through China and that all exchanges between Taiwan and the WHO must be approved by Beijing.
Neither China nor the WHO Secretariat consulted Taiwan over the MOU before it was signed. In the MOU, Taiwan is treated as a part of China, referred to as “Taiwan, China.”
The government has repeatedly protested to the WHA over the MOU as denigrating its national status, but to no avail.
Meanwhile, Wu said the US and other like-minded countries have adopted the measures they considered “most appropriate” to aid Taiwan’s bid to attend this year’s WHA.
“If they consider [making official proposals at the WHA] is not appropriate, it could have a negative effect if we continue to push them to do so,” Wu said.
Wu was responding to a question by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiang Chi-chen (江啟臣), who asked why the US has not made an official proposal to discuss Taiwan’s participation as an observer at the WHA.
Instead, Taiwan has asked its 15 diplomatic allies to make such requests.
The WHO last week said that two of its members have formally proposed that member states consider Taiwan’s participation as an observer at this year’s WHA, without naming the countries.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs later said that the countries are two of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies and more would join the efforts, but declined to name them.
The WHA is to hold its 73rd session on Monday and Tuesday next week, which is to be held virtually due to travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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