Taiwan’s attempt to join World Health Organization’s assembly fails

The move was opposed by Beijing, which regards the island as part of its own territory

The assembly’s president Ahmed Robleh Abdilleh said that a proposal to give the island observer status would not be included on the official agenda

2-MIN READ2-MIN

Taiwan said its exclusion hampered the fight against the pandemic. Photo: Reuters

Published: 5:32pm, 23 May 2022Updated: 6:28am, 24 May 2022

Taiwan’s bid to take part in the World Health Organization’s annual assembly was rejected on Monday, the assembly said, in a decision that follows a campaign of diplomatic pressure from China to isolate the island.

Assembly president Ahmed Robleh Abdilleh, also Djibouti’s health minister, said in a statement that a proposal sent by 13 WHO members seeking for Taiwan to join as an observer would not be included in its official agenda.

Taiwan is excluded from most global groups due to Beijing’s objections. China insists that Taiwan should not be treated as an independent country as it considers the island to be one of its own provinces.

Taiwan argues that its exclusion from the WHO has hampered efforts to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, although it is allowed to attend some technical WHO meetings.

Abdilleh said that the decision followed a recommendation from the General Committee which discussed the proposal on Sunday in a closed-door meeting.

“The political and legal foundation for Taiwan’s participation in WHO ceases to exist,” Chen Xu, China ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva told the assembly shortly before the decision. “This political manipulation will only be met with opposition from all parties.”