[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 25 (Monday, June 21, 2004)]
[Page 1070]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Signing Legislation To Address the Participation of Taiwan 
in the World Health Organization

June 14, 2004

    Today, I have signed into law S. 2092, an Act concerning 
participation of Taiwan in the World Health Organization. The United 
States fully supports the participation of Taiwan in the work of the 
World Health Organization, including observer status. The United States 
has expressed publicly its firm support for Taiwan's observer status and 
will continue to do so. Consistent with the President's constitutional 
authority to conduct the Nation's foreign affairs, the Executive shall 
construe the Act to be consistent with the ``one China'' policy of the 
United States, which remains unchanged, and determine the measures best 
suited to advance the overall goal of Taiwan participation in the World 
Health Organization. The executive branch also shall construe the 
reporting requirement in section 1(c) of the Act in a manner consistent 
with the President's constitutional authority to withhold information 
the disclosure of which could impair foreign relations, the national 
security, the deliberative processes of the Executive, or the 
performance of the Executive's constitutional duties. As a matter of 
comity, the Secretary of State will continue to keep the Congress 
appropriately informed of the matters addressed by the reporting 
requirement.
                                                George W. Bush
 The White House,
 June 14, 2004.

Note: S. 2092, approved June 14, was assigned Public Law No. 108-235.