[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 75 (Tuesday, May 8, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E982]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SUPPORTING TAIWAN'S PARTICIPATION IN THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 8, 2007

  Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. I rise today in support of 
Taiwan's inclusion in the World Health Organization (WHO).
  Taiwan has one of the most developed health care systems in the world 
and has a strong, proven record on controlling infectious diseases. It 
was the first Asian State to eliminate polio and has successfully 
eradicated smallpox, rabies and malaria.
  Because our world is increasingly interconnected, exclusion of Taiwan 
from the international community is neither logical nor appropriate. 
Every year, travelers make over forty million international trips 
through Taiwan. With the rapid spread of diseases, one vulnerable site 
constitutes a vulnerability for us all; one weak link in the 
international health front puts at risk all our efforts.
  Madam Speaker, the WHO has excluded Taiwan because Communist China 
claims that its health care system will protect Taiwan. Past experience 
has convinced me that this is not the case. When an earthquake struck 
Taiwan in 1999, Communist China refused to allow assistance teams to 
fly through its airspace. This unreasonable restriction cost these 
assistance teams hours of flying time and may have cost lives. During 
the SARS outbreak in 2003, Communist China took days to report the 
Taiwan cases, which also cost lives.
  For these and other reasons I rise in full support of Taiwan's 
application to be included in the World Health Organization.

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