Canada: Taiwan must be part of global health efforts
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
In the age of SARS, avian flu and other health threats, international co-operation in dealing with potential global pandemics has never been more critical. This is particularly true of B.C., gateway to Canada for hundreds of thousands of Asian visitors every year.
Membership in the World Health Organization, an agency of the United Nations, is vital to the purpose of protecting our health. And yet one Asian country, Taiwan, has been excluded from the WHO since 1972.
The reason, of course, is political. The People's Republic of China continues to deny the existence of Taiwan as a separate state. Later this month, the WHO will again consider Taiwan's application for observer status; and we believe it should be accepted.
China is again objecting, of course. But this is a case where political posturing must take a back seat to safeguarding our global health.
© The Vancouver Province 2007
1 comment:
It's sad that Canada doesn't even realise that Taiwan is not a nation state. Taiwan has no right to join the WHO at all.
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