OPINION:
LeKudos to the leaders of Congress’ foreign relations subcommittees on Asia (Sens. Mitt Romney and Ed Markey, Reps. Ami Bera and Steve Chabot) and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC). They launched the global #LetTaiwanHelp campaign to urge the World Health Organization to invite Taiwan to participate in the 74th World Health Assembly.
The WHA74 will take place virtually from May 24 to June 1 of this year and is attended by delegations from more than 194 member states. It is regrettable that Taiwan is barred.
In addition to being a model for how to combat the spread of COVID-19, Taiwan has been an historic partner on global health security, helping lead the fight against deadly diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis and Ebola, and providing critical humanitarian aid following natural disasters.
The Chinese government’s blatant politicization of Taiwan’s participation in the WHO not only jeopardizes the health and security of Taiwan’s 23.5 million citizens, it also denies the global community a reliable partner in the fight against infectious diseases.
At a time when the world should be uniting to defeat the novel coronavirus pandemic, it makes no sense to exclude Taiwan from the WHA. Beijing’s attempts to politicize global health are unacceptable and must be resisted. The U.S. and the free world must do more to invite Taiwan to participate in the upcoming 74th WHA to play a greater role on the international stage.
KENT WANG
Advisory commissioner for the Overseas Community Affairs Council of Republic of China (Taiwan) in the United States
Potomac Falls, Va.
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