TAIPEI—U.S. and Taiwanese officials have held talks on expanding Taiwan’s international participation including “opportunities” for the island to attend a major World Health Organization (WHO) meeting next month.
Taiwan is excluded from most global organizations due to objections from the Chinese regime. In particular, Taipei has complained that exclusion from the WHO has hampered efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. State Department said in a statement Friday the meeting took place in Washington between high-level diplomats including Assistant Secretary for International Organization Affairs Michele J. Sison and Taiwan’s de facto U.S. ambassador Hsiao Bi-Khim.
“This discussion focused on opportunities for Taiwan’s participation as an observer in the World Health Assembly in May and the possibilities for Taiwan’s participation at the International Civil Aviation Organization,” it added, referring to another United Nations body.
Taiwan attended the World Health Assembly, the WHO’s decision-making body, as an observer from 2009–2016. But the Chinese communist regime blocked further participation after the election of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, who the Chinese regime views as a separatist—a charge she rejects.
The Chinese regime claims the island as its own, despite the fact that Taiwan is a de facto independent country, with its own military, democratically-elected government, and constitution.
The G7 group of advanced industrialized countries have backed calls for Taiwan’s participation at the WHO. China and the WHO say Taiwan has been given appropriate access to COVID-19 information.
The State Department added that at Thursday’s meeting the two sides also discussed Taiwan’s contributions through its membership or “meaningful participation” in other multilateral forums.
“All participants recognized the importance of working closely with all those who share our concerns regarding attempts to exclude Taiwan from contributing its expertise, resources, energy, and generosity to the international community.”
