Tan Desai, known to netizens as the “Vice Minister of Health” of the Communist Party of China (online photo)
Ignoring the calls of the international community and bending to Beijing’s will, the World Health Organization (WHO) has still not invited Taiwan to the upcoming 74th World Health Assembly (WHA) this year. For the fifth consecutive year, the World Health Organization (WHO) has not invited Taiwan to participate in the Assembly. Commentators believe that Taiwan’s participation in the WHO is not in conflict with the “One China Principle”.
A Central News Agency reporter asked the WHO about the reasons for rejecting Taiwan
It is reported that the 74th World Health Assembly will be held on May 24, the World Health Organization in the meeting notification letter sent to Member States and observer countries, said that countries and regions that received an invitation to participate in the meeting, to complete online registration on Monday (May 10), and until 5 p.m. local time WHO still has not issued an invitation to Taiwan, this is the fifth year since Tan Desai took office as WHO director general in 2017 Taiwan was not invited to the WHO conference.
A Central News Agency reporter asked WHO about the reason for not issuing an invitation to Taiwan, and a spokesperson for the organization replied via email on Monday that the issue of Taiwan as a WHA observer needs to be considered and decided by the 194 WHO member states.
Taiwan’s attitude
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China spokesman Ou Jiang’an said that Taiwan has not yet received an invitation to attend the WHA, “but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to work together with the Ministry of Health and Welfare and fight until the last minute to do its best to fight for Taiwan’s right to participate. ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Tian Zhongguang made the same sound earlier on the 10th in the Legislative Yuan.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China once again called on WHO Director-General Tan Desai to “uphold a professional and neutral stance and respond as soon as possible to the voice of justice of the international community and the earnest expectation of all sectors to firmly support Taiwan’s participation by inviting Taiwan to attend the 74th WHO General Assembly on May 24,” Ou said.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Republic of China had said that if not being invited became a fact, Taiwan would submit a letter of protest through its office in Geneva on the first day of the WHO conference.
Taiwan’s successful fight against the epidemic has seen a surge in international support
According to reports, there has been a big increase in international support for Taiwan’s participation in the WHA this year. In a joint statement issued at the end of their meeting last week, the Group of Seven (G-7) foreign ministers expressed support for Taiwan’s participation in the WHO forum and the WHO Assembly.
“The international community should be able to benefit from the experience of all partners, including Taiwan’s successful contribution to the response to the new crown outbreak,” the statement said.
Earlier, bipartisan leaders of the U.S. Senate and House Foreign Affairs Committees’ Asia-Pacific subcommittees launched a global social media campaign under the LetTaiwanHelp theme, calling for Taiwan’s voice to be heard at this year’s WHO conference.
A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department subsequently made clear that Taiwan’s voice must be heard at this year’s WHO meeting.
Last Friday (May 7), in a statement on “Restoring Taiwan to its rightful place in the World Health Assembly,” U.S. Secretary of State Blinken appealed to the WHO Director-General to invite Taiwan to participate in the WHO Assembly as an observer.
“Taiwan is a reliable partner, a thriving democratic society, and a force for good around the world, and its continued exclusion from the WHO Assembly is extremely detrimental to collective international efforts to prevent and control epidemics and protect against future health crises,” he said, adding that “there is no valid reason for the continued exclusion of Taiwan There is no justification for the continued exclusion of Taiwan from the WHO forum.
Taiwan’s participation in the WHO does not conflict with the “one-China principle”
But Beijing continues to suppress Taiwan’s participation in the WHO. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying claimed at a regular press conference on October 10: “There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, including the WHO, must be handled in accordance with the one-China principle. ……”
On the relationship between Taiwan’s participation in the WHO and the “one-China principle,” senior commentator Tang Jingyuan pointed out in an interview with our correspondent: “In essence, Taiwan’s return to the WHO and becoming a member of the international community is not in conflict with the ‘one-China principle. ‘ does not conflict with it, because Taiwan’s return to the WHO only as an observer does not contradict the principle that only sovereign states can formally join the WHO as a member.”
“The Chinese Communist Party’s use of the ‘one-China principle’ to prevent Taiwan from joining the WHO is nothing more than a political maneuver to maliciously suppress Taiwan’s international viability,” he said, adding that “Taiwan’s epidemic prevention achievements are obvious to all, and the WHO simply cannot find suitable reasons to reject Taiwan’s return to the WHO outright.”
It is reported that Tan Desai’s predecessor, Chen Fengfuzhen, was a member of the 13th CPC National Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Shang, the first dean of the Vanke School of Public Health and Wellness at Tsinghua University and former director of the Department of Health and director of the Auxiliary Medical Service of the Hong Kong SAR Government. Under the operation of the Chinese Communist Party, Chen Fengfuzhen served two consecutive terms. Before leaving office, she strongly supported Desai Tan to take over.
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