The 57th World Health Assembly (WHA) meeting is due to begin tomorrow in Geneva. The WHA is the highest authority within the WHO, and any nation that can secure the support of over half the members of the WHA can join the WHO. Taiwan has been attempting to gain entry into the WHO since 1997 but success has evaded it as a result of Chinese diplomatic pressure.
The WHO's purpose is to ensure the basic human right of health for humanity, and the nation's request to join the organization is not merely the wish of the Taiwanese people but is also an appeal to humanitarianism.
Last year Taiwan stood isolated in its fight against the SARS epidemic, unable to call on the WHO for assistance. The WHO should allow the nation to take part in the international epidemic prevention system, so Taiwanese can receive protection.
The nation's attempt to join the WHO is fair, reasonable and legal. Leading up to this year's WHA meeting, members of the Medical Professionals Alliance (
Taiwan's chances of participating in the WHO increase every year. This year the government has again pursued observer status in the WHA in the capacity of a "health entity," citing four principles. These are that politics should not obstruct Taiwanese people's right to good health; that Taiwan is willing to share its public-health experience with the world; that the nation is willing to provide humanitarian aid to other countries; and that Taiwan is willing to participate in any project advocated by the WHO.
The concept of observer status as a health entity is only a transitional step, one which will lead to proper status in the future. Taiwan looks forward to the time when it can join forces with the international community and participate fully in WHO.
Being able to return something to the international community will not only be good for Taiwan, but will allow Taiwan to contribute to the world.
Chen Lung-chu is chairman of the New Century Foundation.
TRANSLATED BY PAUL COOPER
It is employment pass renewal season in Singapore, and the new regime is dominating the conversation at after-work cocktails on Fridays. From September, overseas employees on a work visa would need to fulfill the city-state’s new points-based system, and earn a minimum salary threshold to stay in their jobs. While this mirrors what happens in other countries, it risks turning foreign companies away, and could tarnish the nation’s image as a global business hub. The program was announced in 2022 in a bid to promote fair hiring practices. Points are awarded for how a candidate’s salary compares with local peers, along
China last month enacted legislation to punish —including with the death penalty — “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists.” The country’s leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), need to be reminded about what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has said and done in the past. They should think about whether those historical figures were also die-hard advocates of Taiwanese independence. The Taiwanese Communist Party was established in the Shanghai French Concession in April 1928, with a political charter that included the slogans “Long live the independence of the Taiwanese people” and “Establish a republic of Taiwan.” The CCP sent a representative, Peng
Japan and the Philippines on Monday signed a defense agreement that would facilitate joint drills between them. The pact was made “as both face an increasingly assertive China,” and is in line with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s “effort to forge security alliances to bolster the Philippine military’s limited ability to defend its territorial interests in the South China Sea,” The Associated Press (AP) said. The pact also comes on the heels of comments by former US deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger, who said at a forum on Tuesday last week that China’s recent aggression toward the Philippines in
The Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday announced that the military would hold its annual Han Kuang exercises from July 22 to 26. Military officers said the exercises would feature unscripted war games, and a decentralized command and control structure. This year’s exercises underline the recent reforms in Taiwan’s military as it transitions from a top-down command structure to one where autonomy is pushed down to the front lines to improve decisionmaking and adaptability. Militaries around the world have been observing and studying Russia’s war in Ukraine. They have seen that the Ukrainian military has been much quicker to adapt to