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Frank Ching

The Sars epidemic, which struck both the mainland and Taiwan with ferocity, may leave both sides of the Taiwan Strait with something to crow about.

On the mainland side, the World Health Organisation has, for the seventh straight year, rejected Taiwan's application for membership at its annual meeting in Geneva.

On the Taiwan side, the WHO has finally consented to allow Taiwan to take part in its events. A WHO-sponsored global conference on Sars,  to be held in Malaysia June 17-18, is open to Taiwan participants. The mainland acquiesced.

The WHO has adopted a new resolution, under which it will respond to requests for  assistance even if they come from a non-member government. This means the WHO does not have to seek the central government's approval before responding to a request for help from Taiwan.

While the resolution refers specifically to assistance for 'Sars surveillance, prevention and control', it may well set a precedent for other infectious diseases as well. In other words, Taiwan may receive the benefits of membership without actually being in the world body.

But while this is cause for rejoicing in Taiwan, it probably means that any future attempts by Taiwan to join the WHO will fare no better than in the past, since from now on it will be difficult for Taiwan to argue that the health needs of its people are being ignored.

Taiwan has announced its intention to persevere and to make another attempt next year. But unless there is a dramatic change in the global balance of power, it is unlikely that Taiwan will be any more successful next time around.

However, the central government should realise  it is using up political capital each year in making sure that it rounds up support from enough countries to block Taiwan's efforts. In the long run, the central government  runs the risk of being seen internationally as a bully by keeping Taiwan out of international bodies, such as the WHO, where it can play a useful role.

China should begin thinking about the future - not just next year or the year after that - but what it wants its relationship with Taiwan to be like in the long run. After all, the central government knows that its goal of reunification between the mainland and Taiwan is not going to be realised in the foreseeable future. It needs to foster a favourable environment for Taiwan to want political reunification.

And Taiwan is not going to grow any fonder of a mainland government that blocks its aspirations at every turn. If the mainland wants to win Taiwan's goodwill, it should attempt to accommodate Taiwan to a certain extent, while making sure that the island does not move towards independence.

As it is, Taiwan is not asking to be admitted to the WHO as a sovereign state. It is not even asking for full membership. It is asking to be admitted as an observer in the capacity of a 'health entity'. What the mainland should do is to come up with some formula that will allow Taiwan to benefit from the WHO's expertise and resources, but which will not constitute a step towards independence for the island.

The mainland in the past has been willing to allow Taiwan membership of international bodies such as the International Olympics Committee, the World Trade Organisation, the Asian Development Bank and the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum. Surely, it can also be flexible enough to allow Taiwan a role in the WHO, though not as a nation-state.

Alastair Iain Johnston, a professor at Harvard University, has suggested  the mainland  itself propose that Taiwan can join the WHO as a non-sovereign state observer, on condition that it would automatically lose its observer status if it were to declare independence.

This would allow Taiwan to participate in a United Nations organisation, and benefit from the attendant international exposure, while reassuring the mainland that Taiwan would be unlikely to risk losing this status by declaring independence.

In fact, if such a formula should work to the satisfaction of both Taiwan and the mainland, there is no reason why it should not be extended also to other international bodies and United Nations agencies. This would result in a higher international profile for Taiwan, something it badly wants, at no risk to the central government. It is an idea that the governments on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should consider.

Frank Ching is a Hong Kong-based journalist and commentator

frankching1@aol.com



Putting public health first