The foreign ministry has lodged a strong protest against China’s attempt to thwart Taiwan’s bid to join the World Health Assembly as an observer. That’s despite the fact that 14 Taiwanese allies spoke in favor of Taiwan’s participation in a letter to the World Health Organization in May.
On Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Joanne Ou accused China of ignoring the importance of global disease prevention and putting politics over public health through its “one China” rhetoric.
She said it’s deeply regrettable that China has jeopardized Taiwanese people’s right to health by mobilizing its allies to block Taiwan’s WHA bid. Taiwan was not invited to attend the WHA as an observer this year.
On Tuesday, the foreign ministry thanked Nauru, e-Swatini, the Marshall Islands and Honduras for calling for Taiwan’s bid to join the WHA on Monday, the first day the WHA resumed.
In a video statement to the WHA, US representative to the UN in Geneva, Andrew Bremberg, also spoke at length at why Taiwan should be included in the WHO.