Despite intense advocacy from several countries, the World Health Assembly refused to discuss Taiwan’s entry into debates held this week in Geneva, under intense pressure from China.
Beijing considers the island an integral part of its territory and Taiwan has been denied observer status, which it enjoys until 2016.
Taiwan has been relentlessly supported by the United States, which has consistently praised its response to the pandemic as opposition to Chinese rule.
” The unprecedented health threats we currently face require close international cooperation, and an invitation to Taiwan […] will describe the promise ofWHO for an inclusive approach. “
At the start of the 75th World Health Assembly – AMS, the highest decision -making body of the World Health Organization (WHO) – 13 countries, including Belize, Haiti, Eswatini and Tuvalu, proposed to put on the agenda the acquisition of a permanent seat of the observer for Taiwan.
An Assembly committee debated the topic on Sunday behind closed doors and decided not to put the topic on the agenda, which was finally adopted by members.
A health issue, not a political issue
This measure is political manipulationdenounced the Chinese ambassador, Chen Xu. His real goal was to achieve freedom through pandemicdid he declare.
The Eswatini representative denied this accusation. Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly is a health issue, not a political onehe launched.
Taiwan is not included inWHO in 1972, but was allowed to participate inAMS as an observer from 2009 to 2016, when relations with Beijing were less tense.
Source: Radio-Canada