The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday it is working hard to persuade the UN Office in Geneva to issue press passes to Taiwanese journalists to cover the 58th World Health Assembly (WHA), which is scheduled to take place in Geneva from May 16 to May 25.
In a statement, the ministry "strongly protested" the Geneva office's rule that only journalists holding passports from states recognized by the UN General Assembly will get media accreditation for the WHA.
Taiwan will lodge its 9th application for observer status in the WHA next Monday. The WHA meets annually and is the highest decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO).
UN officials in Geneva, however, rejected Taiwanese reporters' applications for press badges to cover the event and told them they could not get media accreditation because they are not from a state recognized by the UN General Assembly.
"It is the belief of the ministry that the UN should respect the universal value of press freedom. The UN should protect journalists' rights and should not fail to do so because of political pressure," the ministry statement said.
Criticizing China as the "mastermind" behind the UN Geneva office's refusal to accredit Taiwanese journalists, the ministry said this situation revealed that China has not been sincere when repeating its "goodwill" toward the Taiwanese people in recent days.
"It is simply pursuing a two-faced strategy on Taiwan," the ministry said.
Ministry spokesman Michel Lu (
The ministry said that since the Geneva office refused to issue press passes to Taiwanese journalists during last year's WHA, it instructed the country's representative offices in New York, where UN headquarters are located, and in Geneva to try to negotiate with UN information officials on the issue prior to this year's WHA.
"But the UN still succumbs to political pressure and sacrifices press freedom, which it has been actively advocating, in order to seek compromise in international politics.
The ministry is very disappointed and finds the matter deeply regrettable," the statement said.
MOFA stressed that the UN has no right to express its opinions on Taiwan's national status.
"Currently, there are 25 UN member states or observers that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan. This is an undeniable fact and the UN should respect this," the ministry said.
MOFA said it is unheard of for the UN to block journalists from covering UN-related events because they hold passports issued by states that are not members of the UN.
It pointed out that Swiss reporters did not have any problems getting media accreditation covering UN events before Switzerland joined the UN as a member.
UN information officials once told Taiwanese diplomats in private that they have "other considerations" in handling media accreditation for Taiwanese journalists in the WHA, the ministry said.
"China not only oppresses press freedom in its own land but also stretches its hand into the UN, depriving Taiwanese journalists of their rights. Voices from all sides should criticize such behavior," the ministry said in the statement.
The ministry said it is soliciting support from international journalists' associations for Taiwanese reporters.
QUIET START: Nearly a week after applications opened, agencies did not announce or promote the program, nor did they explain how it differed from other visitor visas Taiwan has launched a six-month “digital nomad visitor visa” program for foreign nationals from its list of visa-exempt countries who meet financial eligibility criteria and provide proof of work contracts. To apply, foreign nationals must either provide proof that they have obtained a digital nomad visa issued by another country or demonstrate earnings based on age brackets, the Bureau of Consular Affairs said. Applicants aged 20 to 29 must show they earned an annual salary of at least US$20,000 or its equivalent in one of the past two years, while those aged 30 or older must provide proof they earned US$40,000 in
SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS: The suspects formed spy networks and paramilitary groups to kill government officials during a possible Chinese invasion, prosecutors said Prosecutors have indicted seven retired military officers, members of the Rehabilitation Alliance Party, for allegedly obtaining funds from China, and forming paramilitary groups and assassination squads in Taiwan to collaborate with Chinese troops in a possible war. The suspects contravened the National Security Act (國家安全法) by taking photos and drawing maps of key radar stations, missile installations and the American Institute in Taiwan’s headquarters in Taipei, prosecutors said. They allegedly prepared to collaborate with China during a possible invasion of Taiwan, prosecutors said. Retired military officer Chu Hung-i (屈宏義), 62, a Republic of China Army Academy graduate, went to China
AIR DEFENSE: The Norwegian missile system has proved highly effective in Ukraine in its war against Russia, and the US has recommended it for Taiwan, an expert said The Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) Taiwan ordered from the US would be installed in strategically important positions in Taipei and New Taipei City to guard the region, the Ministry of National Defense said in statement yesterday. The air defense system would be deployed in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) and New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), the ministry said, adding that the systems could be delivered as soon as the end of this year. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency has previously said that three NASAMS would be sold to Taiwan. The weapons are part of the 17th US arms sale to
UNITY MESSAGE: Rather than focusing on what Trump said on the campaign trail about Taiwan, Taipei should be willing to engage with the US, Pompeo said Taiwan plays a key role in Washington’s model of deterrence against China, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a speech in Taipei yesterday. During US president-elect Donald Trump’s first term, “we had developed what we believe was a pretty effective model of deterrence against adversaries who wanted to undermine the set of rules and values that the people of Taiwan and the people of the US hold dear,” Pompeo said at a forum organized by the Formosa Republican Association. “Succeeding in continuing to build this model will not solely rest at the feet of president Trump and his team,