Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly (WHA) this year poses a threat to the nation.
A framework has been established in which China is the suzerain of Taiwan, and this has destroyed the “Olympic mode” that Taiwan adopted to participate in international organizations over the past 30 years.
In the “Olympic mode,” Taiwan is considered a sovereign and independent nation, neither subordinate to China nor having jurisdiction over it. The four major international organizations in which Taiwan participates under this mode include the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), APEC and the WTO.
Taiwan cannot participate in the Olympic Games under its national title or with its national flag, so to allow it to take part in the Games, the IOC amended its charter, changing the status of all participating countries from “national committee” to “member committee.” This meant that all participating “nations” joined the Games as “IOC members” and that Taiwan and China were considered separate bodies that did not belong to one another.
When the People’s Republic of China joined the ADB in 1986, the name for Taiwan was unilaterally changed to “Taipei, China” by the bank. Even then, Taiwan was still listed under the category of “member countries.” This mode allowed Taiwan to qualify as a “member state,” which, again, was not subordinate to China.
Taiwan also joined the APEC under the “Olympic mode.” A memorandum of understanding signed in 1991 agreed that China, “Chinese Taipei” and Hong Kong joined the organization together. Each was considered a “member economy,” and each would receive an invitation from a special envoy to maintain international dignity. Taiwan and China were considered separate economies.
When Taiwan joined the WTO under the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government, this nation made a big step forward. Taiwan is able to participate in the WTO as a “separate customs territory” under the name of “Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu.” It was made clear that Taiwan and China were two separate entities that did not belong to each other.
Although Taiwan was able to attend the WHA this year, the WHO map still refers to Taiwan as part of China, eight Taiwanese seaports are still listed as Chinese and the WHO still considers Taiwan to be a province of China.
When the Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) government allowed Taiwan to become a subordinate of China through conditional participation in the WHA, it was party to the biggest humiliation of this country since it began taking part in international organizations in the 1980s.
If the government proceeds with this “one China” framework, it will cause tremendous damage to Taiwan’s international status and sovereignty.
Kuan Bi-ling is a DPP legislator.
TRANSLATED BY TED YANG
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