[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 812 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.812

                    One Hundred Seventeenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

           Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,
          the third day of January, two thousand and twenty two


                                 An Act


 
    To direct the Secretary of State to develop a strategy to regain 
  observer status for Taiwan in the World Health Organization, and for 
                             other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. PARTICIPATION OF TAIWAN IN THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION.
    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
        (1) The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency 
    of the United Nations, charged with coordinating health efforts 
    within the United Nations system. The World Health Assembly (WHA) 
    is the decision-making body of the WHO, which convenes annually in 
    May to set the policies and priorities of the organization. 
    Statehood is not a requirement for attendance at the WHA, and 
    numerous observers, including non-members and non-governmental 
    organizations, attended the most recent virtual WHA in May 2020.
        (2) Taiwan began seeking to participate in the WHO as an 
    observer in 1997. In 2009, with strong support from successive 
    United States Administrations, Congress, and like-minded WHO Member 
    States, and during a period of improved Cross-Strait relations, 
    Taiwan received an invitation to attend the WHA as an observer 
    under the name ``Chinese Taipei''. Taiwan received the same 
    invitation each year until 2016, when following the election of 
    President Tsai-Ing Wen of the Democratic Progressive Party, 
    Taiwan's engagement in the international community began facing 
    increased resistance from the People's Republic of China (PRC). 
    Taiwan's invitation to the 2016 WHA was received late and included 
    new language conditioning Taiwan's participation on the PRC's ``one 
    China principle''. The WHO did not invite Taiwan to attend the WHA 
    as an observer in 2017, 2018, 2019, or 2020.
        (3) Taiwan remains a model contributor to world health, having 
    provided financial and technical assistance to respond to numerous 
    global health challenges. Taiwan has invested over $6,000,000,000 
    in international medical and humanitarian aid efforts impacting 
    over 80 countries since 1996. In 2014, Taiwan responded to the 
    Ebola crisis by donating $1,000,000 and providing 100,000 sets of 
    personal protective equipment. Through the Global Cooperation and 
    Training Framework, the United States and Taiwan have jointly 
    conducted training programs for experts to combat MERS, Dengue 
    Fever, and Zika. In 2020, after successfully containing the spread 
    of the novel coronavirus within its borders while upholding 
    democratic principles, Taiwan generously donated millions of pieces 
    of personal protective equipment and COVID-19 tests to countries in 
    need. These diseases know no borders, and Taiwan's needless 
    exclusion from global health cooperation increases the dangers 
    presented by global pandemics.
        (4) Taiwan's international engagement has faced increased 
    resistance from the PRC. Taiwan was not invited to the 2016 
    Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), 
    despite participating as a guest at the organization's prior summit 
    in 2013. Taiwan's requests to participate in the General Assembly 
    of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) have 
    also been rejected. In May 2017, PRC delegates disrupted a meeting 
    of the Kimberley Process on conflict diamonds held in Perth, 
    Australia, until delegates from Taiwan were asked to leave. Since 
    2016, the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, the 
    Republic of Panama, the Dominican Republic, Burkina Faso, the 
    Republic of El Salvador, the Solomon Islands, and the Republic of 
    Kiribati have terminated longstanding diplomatic relationships with 
    Taiwan and granted diplomatic recognition to the PRC.
        (5) Congress has established a policy of support for Taiwan's 
    participation in international bodies that address shared 
    transnational challenges, particularly in the WHO. Congress passed 
    H.R. 1794 in the 106th Congress, H.R. 428 in the 107th Congress, 
    and S. 2092 in the 108th Congress to direct the Secretary of State 
    to establish a strategy for, and to report annually to Congress on, 
    efforts to obtain observer status for Taiwan at the WHA. Congress 
    also passed H.R. 1151 in the 113th Congress, directing the 
    Secretary to report on a strategy to gain observer status for 
    Taiwan at the ICAO Assembly, and H.R. 1853 in the 114th Congress, 
    directing the Secretary to report on a strategy to gain observer 
    status for Taiwan at the INTERPOL Assembly. However, since 2016, 
    Taiwan has not received an invitation to attend any of these events 
    as an observer.
    (b) Augmentation of Report Concerning the Participation of Taiwan 
in the World Health Organization.--
        (1) In general.--Subsection (c) of section 1 of the Act 
    entitled, ``To address the participation of Taiwan in the World 
    Health Organization'' (Public Law 108-235; 22 U.S.C. 290 note) is 
    amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
        ``(3) An account of the changes and improvements the Secretary 
    of State has made to the United States plan to endorse and obtain 
    observer status for Taiwan at the World Health Assembly, following 
    any annual meetings of the World Health Assembly at which Taiwan 
    did not obtain observer status.''.
        (2) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (1) shall 
    take effect and apply beginning with the first report required 
    under subsection (c) of section 1 of the Act entitled, ``To address 
    the participation of Taiwan in the World Health Organization'' 
    (Public Law 108-235; 22 U.S.C. 290 note) that is submitted after 
    the date of the enactment of this Act.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.