The US supports Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly (WHA), which is to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 20 to 28, former US secretary of health and human services Tom Price and American Institute in Taiwan Director Brent Christensen said in Taipei yesterday.
Their remarks were made at the opening ceremony of the International Workshop on the Programmatic Management of Drug Resistant Tuberculosis, a four-day event that was organized by the US, Taiwan and Japan.
It is the sixth public health training workshop held under the US-Taiwan Global Cooperation Training Framework.
Photo: CNA
Price, who attended the WHA in 2017, where he expressed his strong support for Taiwan’s participation in all aspects of the meeting, said in his remarks that he came to Taiwan to reiterate his conviction and support.
“The world cannot succeed in improving the health of all unless all are able to participate in the strategic development for solutions and their implementation,” he said, adding that loosening border restrictions have increased the chance of cross-border transmission, potentially endangering people around the world.
Taiwan has a particular need for disease prevention in the Indo-Pacific region, but due to politics, it has been excluded from full participation in the WHA’s technical meetings and activities, Price said.
Citing a provision of the WHO constitution that states: “The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being,” Price added: “Taiwan should not be an exception.”
Taiwan has much experience and skill to offer to the international disease prevention system, he said.
Its wealth of experience in emergency responses to natural disasters could benefit the WHO’s emergency health program, while its National Health Insurance has achieved universal health coverage, and medical professionals from around the world have benefited from Taiwan’s medical training, he said.
“As a recipient of foreign aid, a provider of international humanitarian assistance and a democratic nation, Taiwan’s participation in the WHO will help foster early realization of the WHO’s vision of health for all,” Price said, adding that it would benefit nations around the world and in turn make the WHO more effective in preventing disease.
The US’ Taiwan Relations Act has sustained a close partnership between the two nations, as well as a long-standing history of friendship, trade, cultural exchange, and commitment to democratic values and human rights, he added.
Taiwan, with its unwavering determination to participate in international medical cooperation and position itself as a professional and pragmatic ally, should be welcomed into the WHO as a valuable partner, Price said.
Christensen cited US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar as saying: “Since health crises do not respect borders, it is difficult to reconcile the global community’s shared concern over cross-border infectious diseases while excluding representatives of the 23 million people of Taiwan.”
“Taiwan, as a responsible global citizen, has much to contribute to efforts to address infectious disease and many other international health concerns,” Christensen said.
“Recognizing this, the US and other like-minded countries will continue to press the WHO to put global health above politics and allow Taiwan to once again participate in the WHA,” he added.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said that strong international support is based on Taiwan’s long-term efforts in public health, proven by its achievements such as its treatment of multiple drug-resistant tuberculosis.
The treatment is complicated and takes one-and-a-half to two years, but Taiwan has achieved a success rate of about 82 percent, compared with only about 54 percent globally, he said.
Due to Taiwan’s excellent performances in preventing communicable and non-communicable diseases, the US and Japan are very supportive of the nation’s participation in the WHA, Chen added.
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
US President Donald Trump yesterday announced sweeping "reciprocal tariffs" on US trading partners, including a 32 percent tax on goods from Taiwan that is set to take effect on Wednesday. At a Rose Garden event, Trump declared a 10 percent baseline tax on imports from all countries, with the White House saying it would take effect on Saturday. Countries with larger trade surpluses with the US would face higher duties beginning on Wednesday, including Taiwan (32 percent), China (34 percent), Japan (24 percent), South Korea (25 percent), Vietnam (46 percent) and Thailand (36 percent). Canada and Mexico, the two largest US trading
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary
RSS