[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 52 (Wednesday, April 21, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H2215-H2217]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PARTICIPATION OF TAIWAN IN WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 4019) to address the participation of Taiwan in the World
Health Organization, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
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.
(a) Findings.--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 for all
parts of the world, especially today with the great 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 \3/4\ of the member states already in the World
Health Organization (WHO).
(4) Taiwan's achievements in the field of health are
substantial, including--
(A) attaining--
(i) 1 of the highest life expectancy levels in Asia; and
(ii) maternal and infant mortality rates comparable to
those of western countries;
(B) eradicating such infectious diseases as cholera,
smallpox, the plague, and polio; and
(C) providing children with hepatitis B vaccinations.
(5) The United States Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and its counterpart agencies in Taiwan 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 1950's.
(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 Congress on efforts by the executive
branch to support Taiwan's participation in international
organizations, in particular the WHO.
(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 a 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 the
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.
(15) In 2003, the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome (SARS) caused 84 deaths in Taiwan.
(16) Avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, has
reemerged in Asia, with strains of the influenza reported by
the People's Republic of China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan,
Pakistan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos.
(17) The SARS and avian influenza outbreaks illustrate that
disease knows no boundaries and emphasize the importance of
allowing all people access to the WHO.
(18) As the pace of globalization quickens and the spread
of infectious disease accelerates, it is crucial that all
people, including the people of Taiwan, be given the
opportunity to participate in international health
organizations such as the WHO.
(19) The Secretary of Health and Human Services
acknowledged during the 2003 World Health Assembly meeting
that ``[t]he need for effective public health exists among
all peoples''.
(b) Plan.--The Secretary of State is authorized to--
(1) initiate a United States plan to endorse and obtain
observer status for Taiwan at the annual week-long summit of
the World Health Assembly each year in Geneva, Switzerland;
(2) instruct the United States delegation to the World
Health Assembly in Geneva to implement that plan; and
(3) introduce a resolution in support of observer status
for Taiwan at the summit of the World Health Assembly.
(c) Report Concerning Observer Status for Taiwan at the
Summit of the World Health Assembly.--Not later than 30 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, and not later
than April 1 of each year thereafter, the Secretary of State
shall submit a report to the Congress, in unclassified form,
describing the United States plan to endorse and obtain
observer status for Taiwan at the annual week-long summit of
the World Health Assembly (WHA) held by the World Health
Organization (WHO) in May of each year in Geneva,
Switzerland. Each report shall include the following:
(1) An account of the efforts the Secretary of State has
made, following the last meeting of the World Health
Assembly, to encourage WHO member states to promote Taiwan's
bid to obtain observer status.
(2) The steps the Secretary of State will take to endorse
and obtain observer status at the next annual meeting of the
World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Ohio (Mr. Chabot) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot).
[[Page H2216]]
General Leave
Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on H.R. 4019, the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Ohio?
There was no objection.
Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, the gentleman from Ohio
(Mr. Brown), for his leadership in this effort to obtain observer
status for Taiwan at the annual week-long summit held by the World
Health Organization in May of each year. My colleague has spearheaded
this campaign for many years, and I am pleased to join him once again.
I also want to thank Brett Gibson of the staff of the gentleman from
Ohio (Mr. Brown), who has done a great job working on this issue.
The people of Taiwan have a great deal to offer to the international
community. It is terribly unfortunate that while Taiwan's achievements
in the medical field are certainly substantial, and it has expressed
the repeated willingness to assist both financially and technically in
World Health Organization activities, it has not been allowed to do so
because of the intransigence of the Communist Chinese Government.
It is a travesty that during times of crisis, such as the 1998
entovirus outbreak in Taiwan that killed 70 children and infected
hundreds and hundreds more, the World Health Organization was unable to
help. When an earthquake in 1999 claimed more than 2,000 lives, we
learned in published reports that the Chinese Government, whose
belligerent insistence that Taiwan be denied a role in international
organizations, demanded that any aid for Taiwan provided by U.N.
organizations and the Red Cross receive prior approval from the
dictators in Beijing. And when the SARS outbreak killed so many in
Taiwan last year, the PRC objected to WHO assistance for its neighbor.
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson has stated that
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. We can show that support by adopting this legislation
that would authorize the Secretary of State to endorse and obtain
observer status for Taiwan at the annual summit of the World Health
assembly and introduce a resolution in support of observer status.
This legislation also makes permanent the reporting requirement
mandating an account of our government's efforts at the assembly and
the steps the Secretary will take to endorse and obtain observer status
at the next meeting of the assembly.
In the face of the AIDS pandemic, the threat of bioterrorism, and
vicious infectious diseases like avian flu, the need for international
cooperation in public health matters has never been more critical.
{time} 1130
But despite the danger of health threats stalking the world's
population, 23 million residents of the island of Taiwan continue to be
banned from participation in and cooperating with the work of the World
Health Organization. Taiwan's exclusion from the World Health
Organization is not simply a political question, it is a question of
humanity. It is an injury to the lives and well-being of the Taiwanese
people, and a lost opportunity to defeat disease, humanity's common
enemy.
Mr. Speaker, this is an issue that demands we put aside narrow
political considerations in the interest of human welfare. It demands
the attention of the international community, and it demands the
attention of the United States. Beyond these humanitarian
considerations that would apply to people anywhere in the world if
granted observer status at the World Health Organization, Taiwan would
be uniquely positioned to help strengthen the infrastructure of the
international public health system.
The damage from the potential exclusion from World Health
Organization does not stop at the island's shoreline. Taiwan's
continued forced isolation from the world health community stands to
impact the health of all of the countries in East Asia and the greater
international community. Diseases do not recognize political
boundaries, a fact demonstrated during the 2003 outbreak of SARS, as I
mentioned previously. Taiwan's highly trained medical personnel,
outstanding medical facilities and respected scientific community would
be a tremendous resource to global health professionals working to
combat disease. Furthermore, despite its arbitrary exclusion from the
World Health Organization and the annual World Health Assembly in
Geneva, Taiwan has made generous financial contributions to
international efforts to improve public health throughout the world,
including a $1 million donation to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria.
In the context of such compelling arguments for Taiwan's
participation in the global network of medical information and
organizations represented by the World Health Organization, its
continuing exclusion is illogical and dangerous. It is a reality that
has been perpetuated through the threats and posturing of the People's
Republic of China, a government whose outrageous behavior during last
year's SARS epidemic clearly demonstrated an unwillingness to act
responsibly in safeguarding the health of citizens on the mainland or
Taiwan.
It is my hope and that of other cosponsors of this legislation that
our government will take vigorous steps to immediately right this
wrong. This legislation calls on the head of the American delegation at
the World Health Organization to speak out forcefully on the floor of
the World Health Assembly in support of the right of the people of
Taiwan to meaningful participation in the international public health
community.
The manager's amendment contains a modification on the bill as
introduced. It extends beyond calendar year 2004 the authorization for
the Secretary of State to seek observer status for Taiwan at the World
Health Assembly and to report to Congress on the same.
I would conclude by thanking the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) and
his staff for leadership on this bill, and also the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Wexler) and the gentleman from California (Mr.
Rohrabacher), who are cochairs of the Taiwan Caucus.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I again join the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot) in
urging Congress to authorize the U.S. to endorse and obtain observer
status for Taiwan at the annual summit of the World Health Assembly,
the meeting of the World Health Organization, set for next month, May
of 2004, in Geneva.
I would like to thank the gentleman from California (Mr.
Rohrabacher), the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Wexler) and especially
the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot) for their hard work and dedication
to world public health. H.R. 4019 is another important step in
fulfilling the commitment that we in this country made in the 1994
Taiwan policy review to more actively support Taiwan's membership in
organizations such as the United Nations and the World Health
Organization. We should continue to support Taiwan in international
bodies. We should continue to advocate for Taiwan to be represented in
the WHO.
There are more reasons today to support this bill than there were
last year even. Those reasons are SARS and the avian flu outbreaks. How
much more limited would the effect of SARS worldwide have been if
Taiwan's government had been fully engaged in the work of the World
Health Organization? How much more quickly would the disaster have been
contained if China had not covered up the outbreak and Taiwan could
have stepped forward?
Excluding the people of Taiwan from the WHO violates the basic
premise of the WHO to enjoy the attainment of the highest standard of
health ``is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without
distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social
condition.''
Last year the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, SARS,
caused 73 people in Taiwan to die. This
[[Page H2217]]
year, avian influenza has reemerged in Asia, has been reported in China
and Cambodia, Indonesia and Japan, Laos, Pakistan, South Korea, Taiwan,
Thailand and Vietnam. SARS and the avian influenza continue to threaten
Taiwan. The case has never been stronger for allowing the people of
Taiwan access to the WHO. As globalization quickens, and as the spread
of infectious disease accelerates, it is crucial that the people of
Taiwan be given the opportunity to participate in international health
organizations such as WHO.
This bill authorizes Secretary of State Powell to endorse and help
obtain observer status for Taiwan at the week-long health summit of the
WHA, and authorizes the State Department to introduce a resolution on
the floor of the WHA in support of Taiwan's participation in the
organization. The bill directs the State Department to submit a plan to
Congress on how to accomplish this objective.
Taiwan has eradicated smallpox, cholera, polio, and achieved infant
mortality rates on a par with Western, wealthy nations. These
accomplishments warrant an invitation to participate in international
policy health discussions, to sit at the table with scientists and
physicians and other public health experts in all these countries.
With a population of 23 million people, Taiwan is larger than 75
percent of the countries which actually belong to the WHO. Taiwan is
prepared to contribute meaningfully to the global health efforts
discussed at the WHA, but without observer status, its delegates cannot
even enter the room. This bill would prevent the international
community from missing out on the insight and experience Taiwanese
health officials can offer. This bill is good for the 23 million people
in Taiwan, and it is also good for the rest of the world because of the
expertise that Taiwanese health officials bring to the table.
I urge my colleagues to support access to the WHO for the 23 million
people of democratic Taiwan and support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I would just like to recognize several of the staff who
have been instrumental on bringing this forth today. On the majority
side, I would like to recognize Sarah Tilleman and Dennis Halpin for
their very hard work; and on the minority side, I would like to
recognize and thank Paul Oostburg and Bob King for their service and
the hard work they have put in to make this possible today.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am in strong support of this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I would first like to commend my colleague from Ohio,
Sherrod Brown, for his persistence in pushing for Taiwan's observer
status at the WHO. For many years he has successfully advocated for
legislation to move this issue forward, and I want to congratulate him
on his current efforts to do so.
I would also like to thank the Chairman of the Committee, my good
friend from Illinois, for moving this legislation forward and to other
members on his side of the aisle for their support.
Mr. Speaker, by battling the spread of infectious diseases and
increasing the quality of health care to the global community, the
World Health Organization makes a significant contribution to America's
national security. As we meet today, the World Health Organization is
attempting to prevent future outbreaks of the deadly SARS virus,
implementing new strategies to stop the spread of the deadly HIV/AIDS
virus, and teaching the developing world how to stop the transmission
of tuberculosis.
Mr. Speaker, the fight for quality health care around the globe will
never cease. As a result, the WHO and its member countries must look
for help from every nation, and from every people, to strengthen the
work of the organization. Unfortunately, strong and consistent
opposition from the Chinese Government has repeatedly stopped the
people of Taiwan from contributing to the work of the WHO.
I appreciate the willingness of President Bush to support Taiwan's
bid for WHO observer status. But I fear that those who work for the
President at the White House and the State Department are unwilling to
make a concerted effort to make Taiwan's observer status a reality.
While it is true that active, not simply passive, support for Taiwan's
bid will upset Beijing, we must first focus on promoting America's own
national interest.
It is true that observer status for Taiwan will not come easy.
Beijing holds sway over many WHO members. But the facts in support of
Taiwan's case are clear, and support will undoubtedly build over time
with active American engagement.
Mr. Speaker, Taiwan is one of America's strongest allies in the
Asia-Pacific region, and is a beacon of democracy for people around the
world. Taiwan also has the money and expertise to make a significant
contribution to the work of the World Health Organization. The case for
Taiwan at the WHO is clear, and I hope that the Bush Administration
will actively seize on this critically-important matter.
I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4019.
Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I am in strong support of Taiwan's entry
into the World Health Organization (WHO). It is once again time for
Congress to stand up for a democratic Taiwan.
Secretary Powell has noted before the International Relations
Committee that there should be ways for Taiwan to enjoy full benefits
of participation in international organizations without being a member.
H.R. 4019 only calls for the Secretary of State to initiate a United
States plan to endorse and obtain observer status at the WHO for
Taiwan.
Time and time again in recent years, Congress has passed similar
legislation to provide for Taiwan's participation in the WHO. Yet time
and time again, Taiwan has been thwarted from joining this
international organization because of objections from the People's
Republic of China. This most recently occurred last May at the World
Health Assembly in Geneva; even after Congress enacted legislation
authorizing the U.S. Government to implement a plan for Taiwan to
obtain observer status.
In recent years. Taiwan has expressed a willingness to assist
financially and technically in international aid and health activities
supported by the WHO, but has been unable to render such assistance
because Taiwan is not a member of the WHO. Last year's SARS outbreak in
Asia should have made it perfectly clear how important it is to allow
Taiwan to participate in the WHO. Taiwan offered to work with the WHO
yet was denied; only later were two WHO experts dispatched to Taiwan.
Meanwhile, the WHO has allowed observers to participate in the
activities of the organization, including the Palestinian Liberation
Organization, the Knights of Malta, and the Vatican.
Along with many of my colleagues, I am extremely disappointed that
Taiwan is not a full member of the U.N. and all international
organizations that its democratically led government wishes to join.
Although this resolution does not go anywhere near far enough to
address this concern, it is a first step in addressing the problem that
Taiwan faces.
Therefore, I urge every member of this House to support a democratic
Taiwan by supporting this bill.
Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bass). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot) that the House suspend
the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4019, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of
those present have voted in the affirmative.
Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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