Taiwan’s voice should be heard in multilateral forums, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told his country’s House of Commons on Wednesday.
This was his government’s long-standing position, Trudeau added.
The prime minister made the comments when asked by Canadian shadow minister for foreign affairs Michael Chong (莊文浩) whether Ottawa supported Taiwan’s participation in the 75th World Health Assembly (WHA) and the 41st assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Photo: Reuters
Trudeau told Chong that Canada’s long-standing position was to support “Taiwan’s inclusion in multilateral forums [and] multilateral bodies to make sure that their perspective is heard.”
Despite Trudeau’s declaration of support, Canada did not sign a proposal by 13 other countries that Taiwan be invited to participate as an observer at the WHA, the annual decisionmaking forum of the WHO, which begins on Sunday in Geneva, Switzerland.
Taiwan was expelled from the WHO, the ICAO, and other UN specialized agencies after losing its seat at the UN in 1971.
From 2009 to 2016, when Taiwan was governed by the Beijing-friendly Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the WHO invited the nation to particpate as an observer in the WHA each year as “Chinese Taipei.”
The practice ended in 2016 when the Democratic Progressive Party assumed the government, as Beijing accused it of “conducting separatist acts on the international stage.”
Taiwan under the KMT was also invited to attend the ICAO assembly in 2013, as a “special guest” of the organization’s council president through a special arrangement involving China.
On Wednesday, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Canada, Taiwan’s representative office in Ottawa, expressed its gratitude to Trudeau for his support.
It is the third consecutive year that Trudeau has publicly endorsed Taiwan’s involvement in the WHA and the first time he has expressed public support for Taiwan’s bid to join the ICAO, whose assembly this year is to take place in Montreal in September, TECO said.
TECO also thanked the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Health for adopting a motion on April 27 supporting Taiwan’s full participation in the WHA; the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities for adopting a motion on May 5 supporting its full participation in the WHO; and the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development for adopting a motion on May 16 supporting its full participation in the ICAO.
The committees and their motions are a testament to how like-minded partners have recognized the importance of Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, TECO said.
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Hualien Branch of the High Court today sentenced the main suspect in the 2021 fatal derailment of the Taroko Express to 12 years and six months in jail in the second trial of the suspect for his role in Taiwan’s deadliest train crash. Lee Yi-hsiang (李義祥), the driver of a crane truck that fell onto the tracks and which the the Taiwan Railways Administration's (TRA) train crashed into in an accident that killed 49 people and injured 200, was sentenced to seven years and 10 months in the first trial by the Hualien District Court in 2022. Hoa Van Hao, a
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the