The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked the countries who spoke up for Taiwan at the World Health Assembly (WHA), while condemning China for blocking Taiwanese reporters from the event.
Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Japan, the UK and the US voiced their support for Taiwan’s inclusion in the WHO in the three minutes each member state was allocated during the general discussion section of the WHA’s second and third plenary sessions on Monday.
In the fourth plenary session yesterday morning, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Marshall Islands and Paraguay also voiced their support for Taiwan.
Photo: Reuters
Paraguay called for trust and multilateralism in preparing for future global health challenges and said the WHO should allow Taiwan to participate as an associate member.
“We should stop the politics, stop the neglect, for we are all vulnerable human beings,” the Marshall Islands said, using nearly half of its allotted time to advocate for Taiwan.
“In addressing global health issues such as infection control, it is important to refer to good examples of regions such as Taiwan,” Japan said, adding that the WHO should avoid creating geographical vacuum by leaving specific regions behind.
The UK said that “our ability to draw on expertise from everywhere remains paramount,” adding that including Taiwan would give the WHA “meaningful access to all relevant technical meetings.”
Guatemala said that bilateral cooperation with Taiwan has benefited the health of its people, and called Taiwan “a valuable ally.”
“Constructive stakeholders who have a role to play” should be included to combat common health problems worldwide, the US said, adding that it “continues to strongly support Taiwan’s meaningful participation” at the WHA and in the WHO’s work.
China asked to exercise its right to reply, countering those who supported Taiwan by citing UN Resolution 2758, WHA Resolution 25.1 and its “one China” principle.
UN Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China as the only lawful representative of China to the UN, while WHA Resolution 25.1, adopted at the 25th WHA in 1972, expelled the Republic of China from the WHO.
China said that the gap in global disease prevention was merely hype and “pure nonsense.”
Using its right to reply, the US said that the COVID-19 pandemic made clear the urgency of engaging all public health experts and authorities when combating global health issues, so it would “continue its long-standing policy of supporting the meaningful participation of Taiwan.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday in a statement thanked the nations that spoke up for Taiwan.
It urged the WHO to uphold professionalism and neutrality by listening to the voices of justice among the international community and rejecting China’s political deception.
In a separate statement, the ministry expressed its dissatisfaction with the UN Office in Geneva, Switzerland, because it denied Taiwanese journalists access to the WHA due to pressure from China.
It also condemned China for its actions.
The UN should respect the fundamental right of Taiwanese journalists to enter the venue to cover UN meetings and activities instead of giving in to unreasonable political pressure, it said.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
The brilliant blue waters, thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle. Palau is again on the front line as China, and the US and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region. The democratic nation of just 17,000 people hosts US-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the US military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace. It is also a key piece of the second island chain, a string of
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck about 33km off the coast of Hualien City was the "main shock" in a series of quakes in the area, with aftershocks expected over the next three days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Prior to the magnitude 5.9 quake shaking most of Taiwan at 6:53pm yesterday, six other earthquakes stronger than a magnitude of 4, starting with a magnitude 5.5 quake at 6:09pm, occurred in the area. CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) confirmed that the quakes were all part of the same series and that the magnitude 5.5 temblor was
RSS