The US House of Representatives Policy Committee declared on Thursday that Taiwan must no longer be excluded from the WHO because "health should not be a political weapon."
Committee members voted unanimously at an executive session to approve the policy statement, which represents the official position of the House majority.
According to the statement, denying the people of Taiwan access to the health information, aid and emergency resources of the organization poses a "needless and grave threat" to Taiwan's society.
The statement noted that the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) makes it US policy to resist any "form of coercion" that would jeopardize "the social or economic system of the people of Taiwan."
Therefore, "in faithfulness to the TRA and the policies of every American president since Jimmy Carter, and with concern and compassion for the health of the millions of people of Taiwan, it is essential that the United States continue to support Taiwan's efforts to obtain observer status in the WHO," the statement added.
The World Health Assembly (WHA), the WHO's annual general assembly, will meet in Geneva May 13 to 17, when "any member state may submit a proposal for observer status for Taiwan," the statement noted, adding that China's previous efforts to keep such proposals off the assembly agenda were in fact a violation to the organization's own rules of procedure.
Meanwhile, according to the local media, US Secretary of State Colin Powell has ordered the US delegation to the WHO to fully support Taiwan's bid.
In other developments on Thursday, Department of Health Director-General Lee Ming-liang (
Speaking in New York, Lee stressed that the bid is "a humble humanitarian quest, not a political scheme."
"The fact that Palestine, the Holy See, Liechtenstein, the Sovereign and Military Order of Malta and the International Red Cross are observers of the WHA warrants a serious consideration of Taiwan's justification and application," he said.
"Vectors of disease recognize no national boundary," Lee added. "In the global efforts to prevent and control diseases, no single entity should be left out like a discriminated lone soul among a sea of multitudes. And yet, Taiwan is one such soul."
Lee has just wrapped up a visit to Washington to lobby for US support.
He noted that Taiwan has contributed over US$100 million since 1995 in technical and training assistance, medical aid and humanitarian assistance to some 80 countries and that The Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu-Chi Foundation (慈濟公德會) offered manpower, relief funds, goods and cash donations of over US$1 million to New York City for victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Taiwan has also given over US$17 million to Afghan relief efforts, Lee said.
However, he noted that Tai-wanese helping with the Afghan relief mission did so at their own risk, since they could not expect protection from any international organization or treaty.
"It's simply morally right to grant Taiwan due representation with observer status as a health entity at the WHA," Lee said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS