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Taiwan banks on growing global support to regain WHO observer seat in May
- Wave of anti-Beijing sentiment and Taipei’s efficient handling of Covid-19 pandemic behind louder calls to reinstate WHA observer status
- The WHO governing panel next meets May 22-28
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Taiwan is holding out bigger hopes of taking part in next month’s World Health Assembly (WHA), as international support for the self-ruled island grows amid a wave of anti-Beijing sentiment.
Taiwan had observer status at the WHA – the governing body of the World Health Organization (WHO) – from 2009-2016, when relations were warmer with Beijing. It has been seeking to return in that role since 2017, but those efforts have been blocked by Beijing under its one-China policy that sees Taiwan as breakaway territory with no right to join international bodies.
However, in the past year, calls have been growing for the WHO to reinstate Taiwan as WHA observer – a status it had under the presidency of Ma Ying-jeou of the Kuomintang, which adopted a policy of engaging Beijing. But things changed after President Tsai Ing-wen of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party was elected to power.
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“The WHA will be held on May 22-28, and the foreign ministry has been working with the health ministry to strive for participation as an observer, and we have already made relevant preparations for the event,” Taiwan’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou said on Tuesday.
“We will continue to closely coordinate with our allies and like-minded countries in order to gather the biggest international consensus and support to steadily and actively push for our cause.”
Ou said the Covid-19 pandemic had made it highly necessary and urgent for Taiwan to take part in the WHO and this was the consensus among many countries.
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