The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday condemned Beijing for its continued suppression of the health rights of Taiwanese, as the government has yet to receive an invitation to join the World Health Assembly (WHA).
The 74th WHA is to take place virtually from May 24. Taiwan participated in the assembly as an observer from 2009 to 2016, but has since been denied entry.
The online registration deadline for member states ended on Monday and, as of yesterday, the nation had not received an invitation to participate at the assembly, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said in Taipei.
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
The foreign ministry would work with the Ministry of Health and Welfare to strive for the nation’s participation until “the last moment,” Ou said.
Ou thanked US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and like-minded nations for supporting Taiwan’s participation at the WHA, while calling on WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to quickly respond to the calls for “justice” and Taiwan’s participation.
Beijing’s malicious suppression is the main barrier to the WHO including Taiwan in its technical discussions, she said.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying (華春瑩) on Monday said that Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, including WHO-related events, should be handled in terms of the “one China” principle.
Washington’s claim that Taiwan’s exclusion from the WHA would imperil global health objectives is a political lie, Hua said, adding that “no one cares more about the health and welfare of Taiwanese than we do.”
The Chinese government, under its “one China” principle, has made “proper arrangements” for Taiwan to join discussions about global health affairs, she said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) criticized Hua’s claims as “shameless lies.”
“After what #Beijing has done to #Xinjiang, #Tibet & #HongKong, no sane person would believe it could take care of #Taiwan’s health needs or otherwise,” Wu wrote on Twitter yesterday.
“The #CCP regime can’t speak for Taiwan as it never ruled the country for a single day. Its claim, in fact, is pure authoritarian expansionism. The truth is we’re a democracy & only the freely elected government represents #Taiwan’s people. @WHO, do the right thing: Let us in,” he wrote.
“#Taiwan wants to do more to help combat COVID-19, so we call on the international community to #LetTaiwanHelp & support our participation in the #WHA,” President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) wrote on Twitter yesterday.
Taiwan last night blanked world No. 1 Japan 4-0 to win the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 for the first time. Taiwanese ace Lin Yu-min (林昱珉) held defending champions Japan to just one hit and no runs in the first four innings, before catcher Lin Chia-cheng (林家正) opened the fifth inning with a solo home run. That was soon followed by a three-run homer from Taiwanese captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) to put Taiwan ahead in the prestigious tournament of the world’s top 12 baseball teams. In addition to a superb performance from 21-year-old Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Lin, three more Taiwanese pitchers
SUPPORT: Arms sales to NATO Plus countries such as Japan, South Korea and Israel only have to be approved by the US Congress if they exceed US$25m The US should amend a law to add Taiwan to the list of “NATO Plus” allies and streamline future arms sales, a US commission said on Tuesday in its annual report to the US Congress. The recommendation was made in the annual report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), which contained chapters on US-China economic and trade ties, security relations, and Taiwan and Hong Kong. In the chapter on Taiwan, the commission urged the US Congress to “amend the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 to include Taiwan on the list of ‘NATO Plus’ recipients,” referring to
Taiwan yesterday advanced to the gold medal match of the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 for the first time in history, despite last night losing 9-6 to Japan. Taiwan advanced after the US defeated Venezuela in the first game on the last day of the Super Round. However, the US had no chance of advancing to the championship game unless it defeated Venezuela by at least nine points. The US won 6-5. As a result, the two teams — who both had one win and two losses in the Super Round — are to face off again in the
Minister of Labor Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) said she would tender her resignation following criticism of her handling of alleged bullying by Ministry of Labor Workforce Development Agency branch director Hsieh Yi-jung (謝宜容) resulting in the death of an employee. The ministry yesterday gave Hsieh two demerits and said she is subject to review by the Disciplinary Court. The severest possible punishment would be her removal from office and being barred from government jobs indefinitely. Workforce Development Agency Director-General Tsai Meng-liang (蔡孟良) also received a major demerit and was transferred to another position. Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) issued a formal apology
RSS