Taiwan attending WHA with dignity, says minister Chiu

Chiu, who is heading a 17-member delegation from Taipei, arrived at the Palace of Nations in Geneva early Sunday, where the annual WHA is scheduled to be held from May 16-25.

He said Taiwan must attend the international assembly so that its voice and opinions can be heard and its national cause defended.

Chiu said he was pleased to be invited to the 64th WHA as a “minister” and “an observer” to obtain first-hand health-related information for the people of Taiwan.

He is taking part in the international gathering in his capacity as the minister of the Department of Health (DOH) of the Republic of China and the chief delegate of the Taiwan delegation.

Written protest

Chiu also said he will lodge a written protest with the WHA for its denigration of Taiwan's sovereign status after an opposition legislator revealed recently that the WHA intends to refer to the country as “Taiwan, province of China” in all of its internal communications.

The WHA is the decision-making arm of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Minister Chiu said the delegates from Taiwan should actively take part in WHA conferences to share the latest in medical information and knowledge.

Participating in WHA events is also important because it will enable the nation's delegates to lodge formal protests when necessary, he added.

The Taiwan delegation members, who will speak at 14 out of the 17 WHA technical sessions, will introduce Taiwan's advanced medical care system to participants from other countries before returning to Taipei on May 20.

Name Debate

In Taipei, the political debate on the name of Taiwan under which the Taiwan delegates are attending the WHA meetings continues dragging on.

The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) denied yesterday an accusation by President Ma Ying-jeou that the former DPP administration accepted the name “Taiwan, China” for representation at the WHA when it was in power.

The DPP, which has been advocating Taiwanese independence and governed the island 2000-2008, refused to accept the derogatory term for Taiwan at the WHA, said DPP spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang.

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The DPP is different from the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) in that it wants Taiwan to become a full member of the WHO and does not support any situation that belittles Taiwan's sovereignty during its WHO participation, Cheng added.

However, Ma said DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen, the party's presidential candidate, took part in six WHO activities with the country named as “Taiwan, China” in her capacity as vice premier.

At the time, the KMT — then in the opposition — never used the name issue to criticize the DPP, the president added.

Taiwan began to take part in the annual WHA meeting as an observer under the name Chinese Taipei in 2009 after the KMT returned to the power in 2008 and significantly improved Taiwan's relations with China.

“Chinese Taipei” has been used by Taiwan for more international functions, including the Olympic Games, as it has been accepted by more people in Taiwan as well as the authorities in Taipei and Beijing.

Recently, DPP lawmaker Kuan Bi-ling obtained a letter issued by the office of WHO Secretary-General Margaret Chan dated Sept. 14, 2010, which the lawmaker said denigrated Taiwan.

The letter, addressed to WHO regional directors and assistant directors-general, described procedures to be followed in implementing the International Health Regulations (2005) with respect to “the Taiwan Province of China.”

However, President Ma reaffirmed that Taiwan has always taken part in WHA meetings on an equal footing with China.

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