Taiwan criticises WHO ‘indifference’ after failing to get into meeting

Taiwan criticised on Monday what it called World Health Organization (WHO) “indifference” to the health rights of Taiwan people and for capitulating to China after the island failed to get invited to a meeting of the WHO decision-making body.

Taiwan is excluded from most global organisations such as the WHO because of the objections of China, which considers the island one of its provinces and not a country.

Taiwan, with the strong backing of major Western powers, had been lobbying for access to the WHO’s World Health Assembly, which opens on Monday, as an observer. But no invitation came, the government said.

In a joint statement from Foreign Minister Joseph Wu and Health Minister Chen Shih-chung, the government said it would continue to seek participation.

“As a professional international health body, the World Health Organization should serve the health and welfare of all humanity and not capitulate to the political interests of a certain member,” Chen said, referring to China.

Wu expressed regret at the “WHO Secretariat’s continued indifference to the health rights of Taiwan’s 23.5 million people”.

China says Taiwan can only take part if it accepts it is part of “one China”, which Taipei’s government will not do, and that only Beijing has a right to speak for Taiwan on the international stage and Taiwan has in any case been given the access it needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Taiwan’s statement said China was falsely claiming that appropriate arrangements have been made for Taiwan’s WHO participation, adding that only the island’s democratically elected government can speak for its people.

Taiwan urges the WHO to “maintain a professional and neutral stance, reject China’s political interference, and allow Taiwan to join WHO meetings, mechanisms, and activities in order to protect the welfare of humanity and jointly combat disease”.

The WHO said in an emailed statement that its secretariat works extensively with Taiwan health experts and officials at a technical and scientific level.

“Taiwanese observership at the World Health Assembly is a question for the 194 Member States of WHO to consider and decide upon,” it said.

Reuters