[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 72 (Thursday, May 20, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H3457-H3458]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    ADDRESSING PARTICIPATION OF TAIWAN IN WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

  Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the 
Speaker's table the Senate bill (S. 2092) to address the 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 Texas?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the Senate bill, as follows:

                                S. 2092

       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

[[Page H3458]]

     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 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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