TAIWAN’S EXCLUSION FROM WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY UNJUSTIFIED: BLINKEN

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday called for Taiwan to be allowed to participate in the upcoming World Health Assembly (WHA), saying there is "no reasonable justification" for its continued exclusion from the forum, Chiang Chin-yeh and Matthew Mazzetta reported for Central News Agency (CNA).

Blinken noted that the WHA, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), will set the agenda for issues of global importance at its meeting from May 24 to June 1, including international cooperation to end the COVID-19 pandemic.

"And yet, unless the organization's leadership takes appropriate action, the Assembly will once again exclude the vital participation of Taiwan," he said.

“There is no reasonable justification for Taiwan's continued exclusion from this forum, and the United States calls upon the WHO Director-General to invite Taiwan to participate as an observer at the WHA - as it has in previous years, prior to objections registered by the government of the People's Republic of China," he added.

Blinken went on to note that global health challenges do not respect borders or recognize political disputes, and said that Taiwan could provide valuable contributions and lessons from its own approach to public health issues.

For these reasons, he said, "WHO leadership and all responsible nations should recognize that excluding the interests of 24 million people at the WHA serves only to imperil, not advance, our shared global health objectives. We urge Taiwan's immediate invitation to the World Health Assembly."

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