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Document Type: Press Release
Published: May 16, 2006
 On May 16, 2006, Minister Cheng Wen-tsang of the Government Information Office, Minister Hou Sheng-mou of the Department of Health, and Deputy Minister Michael Ying-mao Kau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a joint press conference on the subject of "Taiwan-A Partner in Global Health."
The conference emphasized that Taiwan's bid for participation in the World Health Organization (WHO) is in accordance with the principles of humanitarianism, justice, love, and peace; and that China's political obstructionism should not blur the focus of this. The three officials called on the world to adhere to the principle that public health and medical professionalism take precedence over politics. They also called on the international community to support Taiwan's appeals, as they conform to the WHO's highest goal of "health for all."
Minister Hou started by stating that this year marks Taiwan's tenth attempt to gain observer status as a health entity in the World Health Assembly (WHA). In the global village of nations where disease knows no boundaries, Taiwan's effort to gain admittance to the WHO has remained a public health issue of international concern. This is because this issue is closely linked to the basic human rights of Taiwan's 23 million people and because Taiwan's absence creates a void in regional and global disease prevention systems. This is an appeal that accords well with the ideals of humanitarianism, justice, love, and peace. Minister Hou firmly believes that Taiwan's appeal will ultimately win the support and affirmation of the international community. Taiwan sincerely hopes that the WHO and its members, including China, will prioritize public health and medical professionalism over political manipulation and avoid paying lip service to this issue. Taiwan asks that China support Taiwan's participation in the WHO and attach due importance to the right of Taiwan's people to health from the standpoint of health professionals. Taiwan urges that China uphold the principles of parity and reciprocity by encouraging Taiwan's health experts to attend WHO technical meetings, such that global health may be enhanced and the "no-gap policy" of WHO Director-General Lee Jong-wook may be implemented. Finally, Minister Hou called on all citizens of Taiwan and those residing overseas, regardless of party affiliation, to join together to promote Taiwan's participation in the WHO so that the world body may soon achieve its highest goal of "health for all."
Deputy Minister Kau pointed out that the goals for this year include not only promoting Taiwan's participation in the WHA as an observer, but also facilitating the "meaningful participation" of Taiwan's health professionals and experts. This means increasing Taiwan's presence at WHO technical meetings, the announcement of Taiwan's resolve to act as a role model in adhering at an early date to the principle of the "universal application" of the International Health Regulations (IHR), and active participation in the WHO's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN). It is hoped that Taiwan will be included in the global disease prevention system such that it may cooperate with other nations to prevent avian flu. Taiwan calls on the international community to support its appeals based on the premise of global disease prevention.
Elaborating on the concrete measures the GIO has taken, Minister Cheng pointed out that the themes of this year's international promotional campaigns have emphasized Taiwan's contributions to global health and sanitation as well as Taiwan's need to participate fully in the global fight against avian flu.
The GIO carried out these campaigns using a variety of methods such as inviting journalists to visit Taiwan, sending letters-to-the-editor from our overseas representative offices, contributing articles to magazines and newspapers, and publishing booklets. These have already received positive response from the international community and, this year already, there have been more than 350 articles published favorable to Taiwan's cause.
This year, the theme of the GIO's print advertisements uses a pun on the acronym of the World Health Organization - WHO - and reads "WHO Needs Help," with the subtitle "Take Taiwan's Hand, Give Taiwan a Role." International cooperation is stressed in the ads to express Taiwan's willingness to lend a hand to the international community, while asking it to support Taiwan's WHO participation. Ads will be placed in major international media prior to and during the WHA and will also be displayed in light box panels at three major international airports: New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, London's Heathrow Airport, and Germany's Frankfurt Airport.
To break through diplomatic barriers and make an appeal for Taiwan's participation in the WHO, the GIO will host an international videoconference between Taipei and Geneva on May 19, in which President Chen Shui-bian will exchange views with prominent European political, academic, and media figures. It is hoped that this will earn support for Taiwan from the international community.
With regard to the rights of Taiwan's journalists to apply for accreditation to cover the WHA, Minister Cheng said that, for the past two years, WHA organizers have refused to issue press passes to Taiwanese journalists on the grounds that Taiwan is not a UN member. The people of Taiwan should be allowed to enjoy the same rights to health and information as people in the rest of the world. By the same token, its journalists' right to cover news should be protected. Taiwan should not be unique in being deprived of the freedom to cover the news. The GIO stands firmly behind Taiwan's media and is working to win the support of related international organizations and press associations so that Taiwan's journalists will be able to cover the WHA meeting.
Responding to media inquiries regarding President Chen's declared wish for World Health Organization participation within two years, Minister Kau indicated that a concrete approach would involve changing Taiwan's status from "health entity" into "observer." Since China regards Taiwan's participation in the WHA in an observer capacity as a political issue or even an issue of sovereignty, such a change to observer status would be extremely difficult. Considering that rationality is essential in international diplomacy, the tone of this year's campaign has been set as a bid for "meaningful participation" in the WHO. If indeed Taiwan is allowed to participate in WHO technical meetings, this would be more meaningful than attendance at the WHA as an observer.
When asked by reporters about the possible impact on Taiwan's participation in the WHO of the joint statement signed by Chinese President Hu Jintao and former Kuomintang Chairman Lien Chan, Deputy Minister Kau indicated that the biggest obstacle to Taiwan's WHO participation, as is widely known, comes from China's political interference. China has not eased its pressure on Taiwan's international participation following the meeting between Hu and Lien. China should deal rationally with the issue of Taiwan's participation in the WHO given that around 550 flights each week carry almost 10,000 people each day across the Taiwan Strait via Hong Kong or Macao. Kau called on China to stop using people's lives and health as bargaining chips, and to stop dealing with this issue from a political perspective.
GIO Minister Cheng added that, although during his two meetings with Lien, Hu indicated his willingness to allow Taiwan maneuvering space in the international community and to assist Taiwan to participate in international organizations, China, in fact, has been relentless in hindering overseas visits by President Chen and Premier Su Tseng-chang. This is a duplicitous tactic by China, and the promise it made is nothing but a public lie to disguise its intention to suppress Taiwan and deceive Taiwan's people and the international community. As a backstage political manipulator, China represents the greatest obstacle facing Taiwan's efforts to participate in international organizations. While paying lip service to its statement that the Taiwanese are its fellow countrymen, China, in fact, purposefully disregards the Taiwanese people's rights to health.
In response to reporters' questions as to whether the United States has changed its policy of supporting Taiwan's participation in the WHO following President Chen's decision to not make a stopover on US soil during his recent overseas trip, Minister Kau indicated that the United States dealt with the two matters separately and, therefore, has in no way changed its position of support for Taiwan's participation in the WHO.
Regarding the question of China's use of international media to display its concern for Taiwan's public health issues in an attempt to downplay Taiwan's demand for participation in the WHO, Minister Hou said that, in the aftermath of the SARS outbreak, Taiwan last year applied to attend WHO technical meetings on 32 occasions, but only 14 of such applications were approved. Taiwan has faced repeated political suppression at other similar international conferences, and encountered restrictions on the types of conferences it can attend and levels of representation. Minister Hou called on China to respect the rights to health of Taiwan's people and to deal with its applications rationally and professionally. Rather than constantly politicizing each and every issue and suppressing Taiwan, China should adhere to the principle that public health and medical professionalism take precedence over politics, and respect Taiwan's right to participate in the World Health Organization.
The 59th World Health Assembly will be held May 22-27 in Geneva, Switzerland.
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