Since taking office in May, obtaining observer status for Taiwan at the World Health Assembly (WHA) has been trumpeted by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government as a top diplomatic task and a barometer of cross-strait relations. The nation’s bid this year, if successful, would indicate “goodwill” from China, the KMT government has said, apprently hoping for a positive outcome at the WHA session this May amid ostensibly warming cross-strait relations.
While the government’s efforts in that regard should be acknowledged, there is, however, more here than meets the eye and failure to scrutinize the deal could have serious long-term implications for the nation’s sovereignty.
There is no such thing as WHA “observer status” in the WHO Constitution. The so-called WHA observership appears in the WHO’s Rules of Procedure. According to Rule 47 of the Rules of the Procedure of the WHA, “Observers of invited non-Member States and territories on whose behalf application for associate membership has been made may attend any open meetings of the Health Assembly or any of its main committees. They may, upon the invitation of the President, and with the consent of the Health Assembly or committee, make a statement on the subject under discussions.”
In other words, as long as China is in a good mood, a nod from Beijing would enable Taiwan to attend a WHA session as an observer. One detail that is often overlooked, however, is that observer status is a one-time event, meaning that even if Taiwan were granted the status this year, there is no guarantee it would be allowed in the following year. Everything, therefore, hinges on whether Beijing opposes the measure at a given time.
The question is, therefore: How much is Taiwan willing to demean itself if Chinese “goodwill” means having to beg, year after year, for crumbs from Beijing?
The implications for President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) ability to act as head of state are severe, as he could find himself having to give a little more to China each year to be allowed into the WHA. In such a scenario, the great diplomatic accomplishment would be nothing more than abdication, turning the nation into a beggar and, by contrast, Beijing into a gatekeeper.
To avoid giving the international community the impression that Taiwan is nothing more than a pawn of China — or part of it — Taipei must continue seeking full membership at the WHO, as was done under the previous administration.
It is one thing to compromise as part of a strategy to gain international space. But any compromise must not cross the line into threatening or eroding the nation’s sovereignty.
Without sovereignty, there is simply no international space. If Taiwan is to forsake its national dignity in seeking an international presence, it might as well declare itself part of China, in which case international recognition would be a moot point.
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