Taiwan received more international support this year for its inclusion in the World Health Assembly (WHA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Sunday, although a proposal by 13 countries to allow Taiwan to join as an observer failed to be put on the WHA’s official agenda.
Backing for Taiwan’s WHA bid came from higher levels and in a more diverse manner this year during the May 22-28 assembly, with more than 3,800 government officials, parliamentarians, and opinion leaders from 88 countries showing their support, according to MOFA.
Taiwan’s 13 diplomatic allies that are also World Health Organization (WHO) members tabled a motion to put the issue of the country’s inclusion on the WHA’s agenda, MOFA said. The proposal, however, was rejected at a WHA plenary session on May 23.
The WHA — the WHO’s decision-making body — saw national representatives attending in person for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Several countries also spoke up for Taiwan either directly or indirectly during the assembly, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Japan, and New Zealand, MOFA said.
Among those countries were also France, Germany, Luxembourg, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic, each of whom voiced their support for Taiwan’s WHA bid by directly mentioning Taiwan in their addresses at the annual gathering for the first time, according to the ministry.
In addition, Taiwan saw public support from senior officials worldwide, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde.
Taiwan cannot automatically participate in United Nations activities because it is not a U.N. member. Under its official name, the Republic of China, it lost its seat at the U.N. in 1971 and then was expelled from the WHO in 1972.
It was able to send delegations to participate in the WHA as an observer from 2009 to 2016 under the designation “Chinese Taipei” when relations between Beijing and Taipei were warmer during the then Kuomintang administration.
Since 2017, Taiwan has been excluded from the WHA due to opposition from China, which has taken a hard line against President Tsai Ing-wen (???) and her Democratic Progressive Party for their stance that Taiwan is an independent state.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel