The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday thanked Japan, the US and like-minded countries for their continued support of Taiwan’s international participation, and called on the WHO Secretariat to stop aligning with China in efforts to block Taiwan’s inclusion.
The 78th World Health Assembly (WHA) is set to take place in Geneva, Switzerland, from Monday to May 27.
However, due to political influence, the WHO has once again declined to invite Taiwan, Department of International Organizations Deputy Director-General Chang Chih-sha (張芝颯) said.
Photo: Huang Chin-hsuan, Taipei Times
The Ministry of Health and Welfare, MOFA and Taiwan’s overseas missions have consistently advocated for Taiwan’s participation in the WHO throughout the years, she said.
This year, the ministries are also assembling a “Taiwan WHA Action Team,” led by Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源), to travel to Geneva and host a series of events aimed at promoting Taiwan’s positive contributions to global health, she said.
In the past few years, Taiwan has garnered growing support from the international community — which has bolstered the legitimacy of its bid and raised global awareness of its exclusion, she added.
“MOFA thanks Japan, the US and other like-minded countries for taking action to support Taiwan’s international participation,” Chang said, citing examples of their support, such as the US-Japan Joint Leaders’ Statement in February, the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in March and the US-Japan-South Korea Joint Statement last month.
The governments of the US, Japan and Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, along with the legislatures of Sweden, Ireland, Italy and several other countries, have issued resolutions and statements supporting Taiwan’s participation in the WHO, she said.
However, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) continues to deliberately and systematically misinterpret UN Resolution 2758 in international forums to “dwarf” Taiwan and block its right to participate in international organizations, she said.
“MOFA again stresses that nowhere is ‘Taiwan’ mentioned in the full text of UN Resolution 2758, and it neither determines that Taiwan is a part of the PRC, nor gives the PRC permission to represent Taiwan in the UN,” she added.
“Only the democratically elected government of Taiwan has the right to represent the 23.5 million Taiwanese,” Chang said. “The authoritarian government in Beijing does not have the right to interfere with or limit Taiwan’s right to participate in international organizations.”
The foreign ministry expressed its appreciation to the US for strongly condemning China’s attempts to isolate Taiwan during a UN Security Council meeting on April 23.
At the meeting, the US underlined China’s misuse of UN Resolution 2758 to misrepresent other countries’ policies and restrict their diplomatic choices, Chang said.
“MOFA urges the WHO Secretariat to stop ‘bandwagoning’ with China in excluding Taiwan from the WHO,” she said.
With this year’s WHA theme being “One World for Health,” which emphasizes the universal right to health, Taiwan hopes the WHO Secretariat would prioritize global health and welfare, she said, adding that the nation is capable and willing to contribute to the world and help the WHO achieve its goals.
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