[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 80 (Tuesday, May 15, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1055-E1056]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           TAIWAN'S BID TO JOIN THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. THOMAS G. TANCREDO

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 15, 2007

  Mr. TANCREDO. Madam Speaker, I spoke recently in support of Taiwan's 
bid to join the World Health Organization.
  Unfortunately, despite the fact that Taiwan has a world-class health 
care system and is willing and able to make meaningful contributions to 
the WHO's efforts, Chinese pressure to block Taiwan's efforts once 
again triumphed over fairness and common sense.
  President Chen recently penned an editorial that was printed in the 
Washington Post that I would like to commend to my colleagues. In the 
piece, President Chen makes an eloquent and indisputable case for why 
Taiwan deserves membership in this and other international 
organizations.
  I hope my colleagues will take the time to read the editorial, and to 
support Taiwan's future endeavors to contribute to international 
organizations like the WHO.

[[Page E1056]]

                [From the Washington Post, May 11, 2007]

                        The Shunning of a State

                          (By Chen Shui-bian)

       In recent years the outbreak and spread of avian flu has 
     brought illness, death and economic peril to countries in 
     Asia and elsewhere. Memories of the fear, pain and suffering 
     that accompanied the 2003 SARS outbreak--after failed 
     coverups by the Chinese government--are still vivid in many 
     places. While disease heeds no national borders, Taiwan has 
     had to fight pandemics without help from the World Health 
     Organization--a humanitarian agency that is supposed to serve 
     all humankind.
       Taiwan is not a member of the WHO, nor is it an observer at 
     the World Health Assembly (WHA)--unlike the Palestinian 
     Authority or the Malta Order of Chivalry. But under mounting 
     international pressure prompted by fear of an avian flu 
     pandemic, China was persuaded in 2005 to consent, in 
     principle, to Taiwan's meaningful participation in WHO 
     conferences focusing on that threat. China conceded after 
     demanding that the WHO secretariat sign a secret memorandum 
     of understanding. As a result, Taiwan's participation in the 
     WHO is subject to China's approval, even for technical 
     meetings. Such participation is minimal rather than 
     meaningful.
       It is improper and unprecedented for an international 
     humanitarian organization to enter into a secret pact with 
     one of its member states, especially an authoritarian one. 
     More important, the memorandum has been used to obstruct 
     Taiwan's participation in WHO activities. Our representatives 
     were unable to attend the majority of conferences they sought 
     admission to last year. The WHO secretariat has effectively 
     jeopardized the health of people in Taiwan and other 
     countries.
       For a decade, we have striven relentlessly to participate 
     in the WHO, to no avail. Even our humble pursuit of 
     ``meaningful participation'' has yielded little success. With 
     95 percent of the Taiwanese people supporting full WHO 
     membership, I must act upon the will of my people as a 
     democratically elected president.
       On April 11, I sent a letter to the WHO formally requesting 
     our nation's application for membership under the name 
     ``Taiwan.'' The secretariat responded on April 25, claiming 
     that Taiwan is not a sovereign state and therefore is not 
     eligible for WHO membership. This is legally and morally 
     deplorable.
       Article 3 of the Constitution of the World Health 
     Organization stipulates: ``Membership in the Organization 
     shall be open to all States,'' while Article 6 provides that 
     states such as Taiwan that are not members of the United 
     Nations ``may apply to become Members and shall be admitted 
     as Members when their application has been approved by a 
     simple majority vote of the Health Assembly.'' Rule 115 of 
     the WHA Rules of Procedure stipulates that ``Applications 
     made by a State for admission to membership . . . shall . . . 
     be addressed to the Director-General and shall be transmitted 
     immediately'' to WHO members.
       Clearly, the authority to determine whether Taiwan is 
     eligible for admission to the WHO belongs to its members, 
     many of which have diplomatic relations with Taiwan and 
     cannot be co-opted by any individual or administrative 
     office.
       When East Germany applied for WHO membership in 1968, many 
     questioned its sovereignty and the legitimacy of its 
     government. But East Germany's application was circulated, 
     and although it was voted down that year, it was approved in 
     1973.
       Taiwan, formally known as the Republic of China, is 
     indisputably a sovereign state, satisfying all of the 
     criteria cited in Article 1 of the Montevideo Convention on 
     the Duties and Obligations of States: It has a permanent 
     population, a defined territory, a functional government and 
     the capacity to conduct relations with other states. It also 
     has its own internationally traded currency and issues its 
     own passport, honored by virtually all other nations.
       Another broadly affirmed criterion for recognizing the 
     legitimacy of a state is the principle, enunciated in the 
     U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that the 
     sovereignty a state exercises should be based on the will of 
     the people. A truly ``sovereign'' state, in other words, is 
     free and democratic. We find no better words to describe 
     Taiwan.
       Ultimately, the question of Taiwan's participation in the 
     WHO is a moral one. The systematic shunning of Taiwan is 
     unconscionable not only because it compromises the health of 
     our 23 million people but also because it denies the world 
     the benefit of our abundant public health and technical 
     resources. Taiwan's public and private sectors have donated 
     more than $450 million in medical and humanitarian aid to 
     more than 90 countries over the past 10 years.
       We in Taiwan are grateful that many governments and 
     legislative bodies such as the U.S. Congress and the European 
     Parliament have supported our bid for observer status in the 
     WHA. As humankind seeks to control global pandemics, victory 
     will require collaboration that is not restricted by 
     political obfuscation or subject to discriminatory picking 
     and choosing of participants. We must not allow an all-but-
     one scenario to undermine our common mission--health for all.

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