US congressmen discussed Taiwan’s exclusion from the World Health Organization (WHO) during a congressional hearing on Thursday. The United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific held the hearing to assess international and domestic COVID-19 prevention efforts.
US congressman and head of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus Steve Chabot said banning Taiwan from attending the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer creates a gap in the global health system. Chabot said Taiwan has excellent medical personnel and hospitals, and that its close proximity to China can be a great deal of assistance to the Chinese government.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Jonathan Fritz was also present at the hearing. He said that Taiwan is a reliable partner to the US in public health and other areas. Fritz said the outbreak shows that Beijing’s efforts to prevent Taiwan’s inclusion in the WHO and WHA are unacceptable.
Fritz said that Taiwan currently has more than 30 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and yet it is not able to get timely information from the WHO, therefore negatively affecting the health of its people.
He said Taiwan is unable to share its experiences dealing with COVID-19 with the WHO or its member countries. Fritz said Washington will continue to work with its partner countries to stop Beijing from blocking Taiwan’s inclusion in the health organizations.