Urge the WHO to include Taiwan in global health regulation framework

Three of Taiwan's diplomatic allies: El Salvador, Paraguay, and San Tome and Principe are among 34 members of the WHO Executive Board. Last week, they
made a proposal (without directly naming Taiwan) to recommend that the WHO Executive Board should include any countries and areas that are currently excluded from the International Health Regulations (IHR, a legal framework for global infectious disease control), so as to close gaps in the global epidemic control and health care network.

In May 2005, the IHR was adopted by the World Heath Assembly (WHA), the highest decision-making body of the WHO, and took effect in June 2007. The IHR requires all member states to report any public health emergencies of international concern.

Taiwan announced its voluntary adherence to IHR regulations in May 2005. However, the WHO—which does not recognize Taiwan—has rejected direct contact with Taiwan and thus excluded it from international health networks.

For the same reason, the WHO had failed to respond and provide any assistance in July 2007, after Taiwanese health authorities reported that a local couple had a dangerous form of tuberculosis and had posed a threat to health overseas by flying to China via Hong Kong.
Moreover, the WHO's International Food Safety Authorities Network did not inform Taiwan about contaminated corn after it acknowledge that a shipment of green corn exported from Thailand was not safe last September. Sadly, Taiwanese authorities were not informed in time until 10 days after China received the alert.

What’s worse? Without notifying Taiwan’s government, the WHO's website has listed Taiwanese ports as “Chinese,” another indication that it aims to completely excludes Taiwan from international health networks due to the pressure from China.

Unfortunately, the aforementioned proposal by El Salvador, Paraguay and San Tome and Principe was in vain, because China ambushed these Taiwan’s allies on the Executive Board of the WHO by robbing them of the opportunity to speak up for Taiwan.

The bill was initially scheduled for consideration during the meeting of the 122nd session of the WHO's Executive Board. However, China successfully blocked the bill, after China unexpectedly requested that the review of the bill be advanced before the day's meeting was to end, when most of the bill's sponsors were actually absent.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemns China for disregarding the health rights of the Taiwanese people as well as the WHO for ignoring the right of Taiwan’s allies to speak on behalf of their draft resolution.

MOFA points out the fact that China has never cared about the health of Taiwanese, as shown by its failure last year to inform Taiwan of a shipment of potentially toxic corn from Thailand. More importantly, China has no legitimate authority to represent Taiwan's health interests.

It was reported that China also proposed its own amendment in an effort to block Taiwan's representation in the health agreement.

It is definitely a warning showing China's suppression of Taiwan has intensified. In the international arena, Beijing has never give up wielding its influence to sabotage Taiwan's chance.

However, unless the WHO wants to make efforts in changing this situation, Taiwan will still remain a gap in the global disease surveillance system. Shouldn’t the WHO pay more attention to this terrible fact? And why is the WHO principle of “health for all” instead replaced by the "one China" principle claimed by Beijing, a government that never respects universal human rights such as freedom and democracy?

The international community must understand that the China-claimed “cross-strait health communication channels” between China and Taiwan actually does not exist. For establishing a more complete global health network, the WHO definitely, needs to include Taiwan in global health regulation framework as early as possible.