The foreign ministry has thanked the international community for supporting Taiwan’s bid to participate in the WHO’s decision-making body, the World Health Assembly. So far, the United States, Japan, and eleven of Taiwan’s fifteen diplomatic allies have voiced support for Taiwan’s inclusion in the assembly.
The assembly is currently holding its annual meeting, this year in a virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In previous years, Taiwan has taken part in assembly meetings as an observer. However, for the past several years, it has been excluded from the meetings due to Chinese pressure.
Paraguay, Taiwan’s only ally in South America, is one of Taiwan’s few allies that has not voiced support for Taiwan’s inclusion in the assembly this year, leading to speculation that ties between the two countries could be in jeopardy. The foreign ministry says that Paraguay is a longtime friend of Taiwan. It says that allied countries can support Taiwan in a variety of ways, and that it appreciates any form of assistance.
The foreign ministry also says that over 1,700 parliamentarians from around the world have openly endorsed Taiwan’s participation in international organizations. It says that Taiwan will continue to work toward inclusion in international bodies “one step at a time.”