[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 72 (Wednesday, May 14, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H4092-H4093]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CONCERNING PARTICIPATION OF TAIWAN IN THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Committee on International Relations be discharged from further 
consideration of the Senate bill (S. 243) concerning participation of 
Taiwan in the World Health Organization, and ask for its immediate 
consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the Senate bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the Senate bill, as follows:

                                 S. 243

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. CONCERNING THE PARTICIPATION OF TAIWAN IN THE 
                   WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO).

       (a) Findings.--The Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) Good health is important to every citizen of the world 
     and access to the highest standards of health information and 
     services is necessary to improve the public health.
       (2) Direct and unobstructed participation in international 
     health cooperation forums and programs is beneficial to all 
     parts of the world, especially with today's greater potential 
     for the cross-border spread of various infectious diseases 
     such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), tuberculosis, 
     and malaria.
       (3) Taiwan's population of 23,500,000 people is greater 
     than that of three-fourths of the member states already in 
     the World Health Organization (WHO).
       (4) Taiwan's achievements in the field of health are 
     substantial, including one of the highest life expectancy 
     levels in Asia, maternal and infant mortality rates 
     comparable to those of western countries, the eradication of 
     such infectious diseases as cholera, smallpox, and the 
     plague, and the first to eradicate polio and provide children 
     with hepatitis B vaccinations.
       (5) The United States Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention and its Taiwan counterpart agencies have enjoyed 
     close collaboration on a wide range of public health issues.
       (6) In recent years Taiwan has expressed a willingness to 
     assist financially and technically in international aid and 
     health activities supported by the WHO.
       (7) On January 14, 2001, an earthquake, registering between 
     7.6 and 7.9 on the Richter scale, struck El Salvador. In 
     response, the Taiwanese government sent 2 rescue teams, 
     consisting of 90 individuals specializing in firefighting, 
     medicine, and civil engineering. The Taiwanese Ministry of 
     Foreign Affairs also donated $200,000 in relief aid to the 
     Salvadoran Government.
       (8) The World Health Assembly has allowed observers to 
     participate in the activities of the organization, including 
     the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1974, the Order of 
     Malta, and the Holy See in the early 1950s.
       (9) The United States, in the 1994 Taiwan Policy Review, 
     declared its intention to support Taiwan's participation in 
     appropriate international organizations.
       (10) Public Law 106-137 required the Secretary of State to 
     submit a report to the Congress on efforts by the executive 
     branch to support Taiwan's participation in international 
     organizations, in particular the WHO.

[[Page H4093]]

       (11) In light of all benefits that Taiwan's participation 
     in the WHO can bring to the state of health not only in 
     Taiwan, but also regionally and globally, Taiwan and its 
     23,500,000 people should have appropriate and meaningful 
     participation in the WHO.
       (12) On May 11, 2001, President Bush stated in his letter 
     to Senator Murkowski that the United States `should find 
     opportunities for Taiwan's voice to be heard in international 
     organizations in order to make a contribution, even if 
     membership is not possible', further stating that his 
     Administration `has focused on finding concrete ways for 
     Taiwan to benefit and contribute to the WHO'.
       (13) In his speech made in the World Medical Association on 
     May 14, 2002, Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy 
     Thompson announced `America's work for a healthy world cuts 
     across political lines. That is why my government supports 
     Taiwan's efforts to gain observership status at the World 
     Health Assembly. We know this is a controversial issue, but 
     we do not shrink from taking a public stance on it. The 
     people of Taiwan deserve the same level of public health as 
     citizens of every nation on earth, and we support them in 
     their efforts to achieve it'.
       (14) The Government of the Republic of China on Taiwan, in 
     response to an appeal from the United Nations and the United 
     States for resources to control the spread of HIV/AIDS, 
     donated $1,000,000 to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, 
     Tuberculosis and Malaria in December 2002.
       (b) Plan.--The Secretary of State is authorized--
       (1) to initiate a United States plan to endorse and obtain 
     observer status for Taiwan at the annual week-long summit of 
     the World Health Assembly in May 2003 in Geneva, Switzerland; 
     and
       (2) to instruct the United States delegation to Geneva to 
     implement that plan.
       (c) Report.--Not later than 14 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a 
     report to Congress in unclassified form describing the action 
     taken under subsection (b).

  The Senate bill was ordered to be read a third time, was read the 
third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

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