Two senior members of the US House of Representatives on Monday called for continued support of Taiwan as it became clear that the nation would not be invited to the World Health Assembly (WHA) due to China’s obstruction.
The deadline to register for the event, which opens on May 22 in Geneva, Switzerland, passed on Monday, and Taiwan did not receive an invitation.
Representatives Ed Royce and Eliot Engel, the chairman and ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, made the call in a letter to US Secretary of Health and Human Services Thomas Price.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
They urged Price to meet with the delegation that Taiwan is to send to Geneva regardless of whether it can participate in the WHA proceedings and to encourage WHO members to maintain their support for Taiwan’s continued participation in the WHA, the decisionmaking body of the WHO.
They also encouraged Price to visit Taiwan later this year, which they said “would signal strong support for Taiwan’s global health efforts around the world.”
“The global health community does not benefit when Taiwan is kept in the dark on these critical matters. We are all safer when Taiwan has meaningful and unobstructed participation in international health cooperation forums,” they said in the letter.
“In addition to the benefits accrued by the international community from Taiwan’s participation, we should all agree that the health and safety of the people of Taiwan should not be needlessly held hostage by politics,” they said.
Also on Monday, the US Department of State reiterated Washington’s support for Taiwan to expand its contributions to the world community and urged Taipei and Beijing to engage in dialogue.
“The United States remains committed to supporting Taiwan as it seeks to expand its already significant contributions to addressing global challenges,” Bureau for East Asian and Pacific Affairs spokesperson Grace Choi said.
“We encourage authorities in Beijing and Taipei to engage in constructive dialogue on the basis of dignity and respect,” she said in response to questions. “We continue to urge patience, flexibility and creativity on both sides.”
“We support Taiwan’s membership in international organizations that do not require statehood,” Choi said in line with a long-standing US position on Taiwan’s bid to participate in international affairs. “In organizations that require statehood for membership, the United States supports Taiwan’s meaningful participation.”
Choi made the comments after China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) on Monday said that the basis for Taiwan’s continued participation in the WHA was gone, as Taipei has refused to comply with Beijing’s demand that it accept the so-called “1992 consensus.”
The “1992 consensus” — a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese government that both sides acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
People can take the Taipei MRT free of charge if they access it at Nanjing Sanmin Station or Taipei Arena Station on the Green Line between 12am and 6am on Jan. 1, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Friday, outlining its plans to ease crowding during New Year’s events in the capital. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend New Year’s Eve events in Taipei, with singer A-mei (張惠妹) performing at the Taipei Dome and the city government’s New Year’s Eve party at Taipei City Hall Plaza, the department said. As people have tended to use the MRT’s Blue or
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
Taiwanese professional baseball should update sports stadiums and boost engagement to enhance fans’ experience, Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview on Friday. The league has urged Farglory Group and the Taipei City Government to improve the Taipei Dome’s outdated equipment, including relatively rudimentary television and sound systems, and poor technology, he said. The Tokyo Dome has markedly better television and sound systems, despite being 30 years old, because its managers continually upgraded its equipment, Tsai said. In contrast, the Taipei Dome lacked even a room for referees
RSS