The government yesterday lodged a protest with the WHO after it downgraded Taiwan's status by listing the nation's ports under China in the organization's online International Health Regulations (IHR) Authorized Ports List.
The IHR is the WHO's global legal framework for infectious disease control. It comes into effect in June.
The IHR Authorized Ports List, made public on the WHO's Web site last Friday, showed the list of ports sent by Taiwan to the WHO -- Keelung, Taichung, Kaohsiung, Hualien, Kinmen, Matsu, Mailiao and Suao -- listed under China.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokeswoman Phoebe Yeh (
"The classification has caused confusion for international shipping companies and has to be rectified as soon as possible," she said.
"The move shows that China's attempts to squeeze Taiwan's international space and belittle its sovereignty have risen to an unscrupulous level," Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Spokesman Liu Te-shun (
The MAC said it was worried that a list of airports recently sent by the government to the WHO will also be listed under China.
Previoulsy, the government filed a complaint with the WHO's International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) after Chinese authorities waited for 10 days before passing on a Sept. 12 message that baby corn exported by a Thai company might be contaminated. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) eventually received a fax from its Chinese counterpart on Sept. 21.
In the complaint, the government urged the WHO to restore direct contact with Taiwan instead of passing on information via China.
The government has not yet received a response from the WHO.
Hong Kong singer Andy Lau’s (劉德華) concert in Taipei tonight has been cancelled due to Typhoon Kong-rei and is to be held at noon on Saturday instead, the concert organizer SuperDome said in a statement this afternoon. Tonight’s concert at Taipei Arena was to be the first of four consecutive nightly performances by Lau in Taipei, but it was called off at the request of Taipei Metro, the operator of the venue, due to the weather, said the organizer. Taipei Metro said the concert was cancelled out of consideration for the audience’s safety. The decision disappointed a number of Lau’s fans who had
Commuters in Taipei picked their way through debris and navigated disrupted transit schedules this morning on their way to work and school, as the city was still working to clear the streets in the aftermath of Typhoon Kong-rey. By 11pm yesterday, there were estimated 2,000 trees down in the city, as well as 390 reports of infrastructure damage, 318 reports of building damage and 307 reports of fallen signs, the Taipei Public Works Department said. Workers were mobilized late last night to clear the debris as soon as possible, the department said. However, as of this morning, many people were leaving messages
A Canadian dental assistant was recently indicted by prosecutors after she was caught in August trying to smuggle 32kg of marijuana into Taiwan, the Aviation Police Bureau said on Wednesday. The 30-year-old was arrested on Aug. 4 after arriving on a flight to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Chang Tsung-lung (張驄瀧), a squad chief in the Aviation Police Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Division, told reporters. Customs officials noticed irregularities when the woman’s two suitcases passed through X-ray baggage scanners, Chang said. Upon searching them, officers discovered 32.61kg of marijuana, which local media outlets estimated to have a market value of more than NT$50 million (US$1.56
FATALITIES: The storm claimed at least two lives — a female passenger in a truck that was struck by a falling tree and a man who was hit by a utility pole Workers cleared fallen trees and shop owners swept up debris yesterday after one of the biggest typhoons to hit the nation in decades claimed at least two lives. Typhoon Kong-rey was packing winds of 184kph when it slammed into eastern Taiwan on Thursday, uprooting trees, triggering floods and landslides, and knocking out power as it swept across the nation. A 56-year-old female foreign national died from her injuries after the small truck she was in was struck by a falling tree on Provincial Highway 14A early on Thursday. The second death was reported at 8pm in Taipei on Thursday after a 48-year-old man
RSS