Eight countries issued a joint statement yesterday advocating for Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly (WHA).
The US, Australia, the UK, Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, Japan and Lithuania’s offices in Taiwan issued a statement “to reaffirm our support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the work of the World Health Organization and Taiwan’s participation as an observer in the World Health Assembly.”
“Taiwan remains largely excluded from the world’s international health system,” including not being invited to the WHA, which is to take place from Monday to Saturday next week in Geneva, Switzerland, the statement said.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
The eight countries urged the WHO to invite Taiwan, which would be in line with the organization’s commitment to a “health for all” approach to international health cooperation, it said.
Excluding Taiwan “is unjustified and undermines inclusive global public health cooperation and security,” it said.
Taiwan, which participated in the WHA as an observer from 2009 to 2016, is “a highly capable, engaged and responsible member of the global health community,” it said.
The nation’s “significant public health expertise, democratic governance and advanced technology” could contribute greatly to the global health forum, it said.
Meanwhile, Taiwan last night sent a delegation to Geneva to join the sidelines of the WHA, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) said yesterday, adding that excluding the nation from the event is unfair to Taiwanese and a loss to the world.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare is to work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs until the last moment, Chiu told a news conference in Taipei.
“Health is a fundamental human right and a universal value,” he said.
He is to lead the “WHA Action Team” to Geneva to show Taiwan’s contribution to global health and medicine, including sharing the nation’s expertise in the field at an international news conference, Chiu said.
The team is also to hold bilateral meetings with its counterparts, participate in activities on the sidelines and organize forums, he said.
The team would consider sending a letter of protest to the WHA if the actions advocating for Taiwan’s inclusion fail, he said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) thanked the nearly 70 countries that have voiced support for Taiwan’s inclusion in the WHA this year, including 11 diplomatic allies that sent letters to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on the matter.
Taiwan’s bid to join the WHO as an observer is in line with universal values and should not be undermined by political reasons, Lin said.
Beijing’s attempts to block Taiwan from participating in the WHO are detrimental to all, he said, calling on the organization to resist Chinese pressure and manipulation, and to stay true to its objective of health for all.
Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) is to lead a separate group of legislators to Geneva, Chiu said.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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