Taiwan has confirmed with the World Health Organization (WHO) that it will participate in the upcoming World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva as an observer. That’s the word from foreign ministry spokesperson Eleanor Wang on Tuesday.
Taiwan finally received the invitation from the WHO on Monday. The long-awaited invitation had started speculation that China was trying to prevent Taiwan from participating just days after the presidential inauguration later this month. That’s because incoming President Tsai Ing-wen’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has long been seen as wary of China. But the invitation contains language that the incoming administration is not happy with, including references to the UN resolution that paved the way in 1971 for the “China” seat in the UN to be taken from Taipei and given to Beijing.
Wang said that in the government letter responding to the WHO, current health minister Chiang Been-huang wrote that Taiwan will be represented by incoming health minister Lin Tzou-yien at the WHA. Chiang said the letter also emphasized that President Ma Ying-jeou affirms the 1992 Consensus. The consensus was agreed by representatives of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait that there is only one China with each side free to interpret what that means.
Meanwhile, Chiang said Tsai’s incoming administration also sent in their version of the letter in response to WHO’s invitation.
This year will be the eighth time that Taiwan is participating in the WHA as an observer.