British and US representatives during a WHO meeting on Friday voiced support for Taiwan’s participation in the global health organization, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
“We recognize the need to strengthen vaccine confidence, and to address the role of mis- and disinformation. Accelerating vaccine uptake and demand is critical to achieving COVID-19 vaccination goals, to future emergency responses and to ongoing efforts to combat vaccine-preventable diseases,” said Loyce Pace, assistant secretary for global affairs at the US Department of Health and Human Services.
“In this regard, the United States appreciates the example of Taiwan in its COVID-19 response as well as its support to many around the world. We urge WHO to be fully inclusive of all partners, including Taiwan, as we take our collective work forward in responding to global health emergencies,” she said.
Photo: Reuters
According to information provided by the ministry, Danny Andrews, head of the health division at the British Permanent Mission to the UN Office in Geneva, Switzerland, told Friday’s meeting that “we also stress the inclusivity in WHO’s governance, given the impact of global health emergencies, we must draw on all voices and everyone with experiences to share to deal with health emergencies.”
Diplomatic ally the Marshall Islands expressed gratitude to Taiwan during the meeting.
“The Marshall Islands wishes to extend its most sincere gratitude once again to the WHO, and the numerous donor countries and partners such as the United States, the Republic of China (Taiwan) for their continued support and assistance to the Marshall Islands,” said Samuel Lanwi, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Marshall Islands to the UN Office in Geneva.
The ministry said that over the past few days allies, including St Kitts and Nevis, Nauru, Haiti, Honduras and Paraguay, have voiced support for Taiwan joining the WHO as an observer.
Officials representing Japan and the EU have also called on the WHO to be more inclusive.
Hiroki Nakatani, an adviser from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, said that “it is important not to make a geographical vacuum by creating a situation where a specific region cannot join WHO as an observer of WHA,” referring to the World Health Assembly, the decisionmaking body of the WHO.
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
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
CHIP EXCEPTION: An official said that an exception for Taiwanese semiconductors would have a limited effect, as most are packaged in third nations before being sold The Executive Yuan yesterday decried US President Donald Trump’s 32 percent tariff on Taiwanese goods announced hours earlier as “unfair,” saying it would lodge a representation with Washington. The Cabinet in a statement described the pledged US tariffs, expected to take effect on Wednesday next week, as “deeply unreasonable” and “highly regrettable.” Cabinet spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said that the government would “lodge a solemn representation” with the US Trade Representative and continue negotiating with Washington to “ensure the interests of our nation and industries.” Trump at a news conference in Washington on Wednesday announced a 10 percent baseline tariff on most goods
THUGGISH BEHAVIOR: Encouraging people to report independence supporters is another intimidation tactic that threatens cross-strait peace, the state department said China setting up an online system for reporting “Taiwanese independence” advocates is an “irresponsible and reprehensible” act, a US government spokesperson said on Friday. “China’s call for private individuals to report on alleged ‘persecution or suppression’ by supposed ‘Taiwan independence henchmen and accomplices’ is irresponsible and reprehensible,” an unnamed US Department of State spokesperson told the Central News Agency in an e-mail. The move is part of Beijing’s “intimidation campaign” against Taiwan and its supporters, and is “threatening free speech around the world, destabilizing the Indo-Pacific region, and deliberately eroding the cross-strait status quo,” the spokesperson said. The Chinese Communist Party’s “threats