A group of bipartisan senators has asked the World Health Organization (WHO) director general to allow Taiwan to participate in the organization and an upcoming major global health event.
They urged Dr. Tedros to invite Taiwan to attend this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) in late May.
“We write to express strong bipartisan support within the U.S. Senate for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the WHO and the annual WHA meetings. We are deeply concerned that Taiwan has been largely excluded from WHO and WHA meetings, technical exchanges, and other consultative mechanisms,” they wrote.
The signatories include Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Chris Coons (D-Del.), and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).
Mr. Cardin is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Mr. Risch is a ranking member of the committee.
The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the WHO’s decision-making body. It will hold its 77th annual meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 27 to June 1. This year’s theme is “Health for All, All for Health.”
Taiwan is excluded from most international organizations because of objections by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which considers the democratically governed island its territory and has not renounced the use of force to seize it. Beijing’s military aggression against Taiwan has intensified in recent years, consistently deploying military aircraft and vessels close to the island on an almost daily basis. Taiwan’s defense ministry reported that over 1,700 warplanes entered the island’s air defense zone last year.
Taiwan attended WHA as an observer from 2009 to 2016 under the administration of then-President Ma Ying-jeou, who signed landmark trade and tourism agreements with China.
But the CCP began blocking Taiwan’s participation in 2017 after President Tsai Ing-wen took office due to her refusal to agree to the Chinese regime’s position that both China and Taiwan are part of “one China.”
In the letter, the senators accused Beijing of using a U.N. resolution about China’s representation in the United Nations to restrict Taiwan’s engagement with the international community. The senators said this resolution did not determine Taiwan’s status or ban it from participating in U.N. agencies such as the WHO or WHA.
The senators lauded Taiwan’s global health contributions, expertise, and experience in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Taiwan has demonstrated robust healthcare capabilities, and its global health contributions, particularly visible during the COVID-19 pandemic, have proven indispensable. Taiwan’s proactive and transparent response to health emergencies, as well as its willingness to share expertise and resources, underscores the value it brings to global health initiatives,” the letter reads.
Speaking to lawmakers at parliament on May 15, Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu called on the WHO to allow Taipei to participate in all its meetings and activities if it is serious about providing “health for all.”
He also said the WHO’s director general should take the initiative to invite Taiwan to attend this month’s WHA as an observer.
Earlier this month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on the WHO to invite Taiwan to the event.
This year’s WHA starts a week after Taiwanese President-elect Lai Ching-te takes office. Beijing has labeled Mr. Lai a “dangerous separatist” and rejected his repeated calls for talks. Mr. Lai, who has rejected the CCP’s sovereignty claims over Taiwan, accused Beijing of committing unfair trade practices against the island nation before the election last year, which he called an “undermining of Taiwan’s democracy.”
The Epoch Times has reached out to the WHO for comment.
