Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Organization (WHO) has been thwarted for the eighth consecutive year.
Xinhua News Agency reported on May 28 that the World Health Assembly (WHA) decided not to include Taiwan’s observer status and assembly participation proposal in the agenda at the WTO on May 27. The WHA is the highest decision-making body under the WHO.
The U.S. and other countries supported Taiwan’s observer status, but China’s diplomatic efforts again foiled it. This reaffirmed China’s influence in international organizations and the international community.
The U.S., Japan, Australia, the U.K., Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Lithuania issued a joint statement on May 24, supporting Taiwan’s participation in the WHA.
The countries pointed out that “viruses do not respect borders, and global cooperation is needed to protect the safety of the entire world” regarding infectious disease measures.
According to Xinhua News Agency, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that over 100 countries supported China’s position by sending letters to the WHO Director-General. The spokesperson claimed that this sufficiently demonstrates that the “One China” principle is the flow of the world’s opinion and should not be challenged.
Taiwan participated in the WHO assembly as an observer from 2009 to 2016. However, since 2017, it has been unable to participate due to China’s diplomatic opposition. This opposition arose with the inauguration of the Tsai Ing Wen administration in Taiwan, which does not recognize the “One China” principle that asserts “China and Taiwan belong to one country.”
