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U.S. Senate joins calls for Taiwan to regain WHO observer statusThe U.S. Senate unanimously approved a bill seeking the restoration of Taiwan’s observer status with the World Health Organization, escalating an international campaign to push back against Chinese efforts to isolate the island.< snipped >The Senate vote Monday is part of a push by China’s critics in the U.S. and elsewhere to use the coronavirus pandemic to strengthen Taiwan’s official and unofficial diplomatic relationships. Beijing, which considers island part of its territory, has blocked its participation in the WHO since Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen was elected in 2016 and refused to accept that both belong to “one China.”
EU should back Taiwan’s WHO observer status to share COVID-19 experience – open letterMay 13, 2020More than 100 members of the European Parliament and member states’ national assemblies have called upon EU health ministers to lobby for Taiwan’s participation in next week’s World Health Assembly in Geneva to share its experience in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an open letter obtained by EURACTIV.Globally, Taiwan is seen as one of the few countries which has successfully stemmed the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, with low infection and death numbers, without resorting to draconian measures and in spite of Taiwan’s geographic proximity to the virus’ origin.< snipped >So far, Taipei is effectively locked out of WHO membership due to its complex relationship with China. Beijing claims the island as its own territory and deems it to have no right to membership of international bodies. The two sides have been separately ruled since the Chinese civil war of the 1940s.< snipped >Complex relationsWHO membership is only given to member countries of the United Nations, which doesn’t recognise Taiwan, or whose applications are approved by the World Health Assembly, whose meeting is due to take place next week in Geneva.In consequence, Taiwan has so far been excluded from emergency meetings and global expert briefings on the coronavirus pandemic.In a recent TV interview, the dispute was revived as a top WHO official appeared to dodge questions on the matter, attracting criticism and even accusations of bias.
