At Thursday's weekly Cabinet meeting, Premier Cho Jung-tai received a briefing from the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) on Taiwan's delegation to the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva and future prospects for Taiwan's participation in the World Health Organization. The premier said that although Taiwan faces suppression by China, at this year's WHA, as on previous occasions, the Taiwan delegation achieved fruitful results, not only holding bilateral meetings with many countries and international organizations, but also organizing numerous specialist forums to share Taiwan's medical achievements with the world.
The premier said health is a fundamental human right and a universal value. On the grounds of safeguarding public health and global epidemic prevention, Taiwan should not be excluded from the WHA due to political interference or any other factor. Accordingly, the Taiwan government must express strong regret and dissatisfaction on behalf of its people.
The premier pointed out that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan demonstrated excellent medical and public health standards, while at the same time assisting its allies and facilitating a virtuous cycle of international cooperation. Against this backdrop, this year's WHA saw statements issued by 11 allies endorsing Taiwan's participation as an observer at the WHA. Altogether, 26 nations and the European Union voiced their support for Taiwan, clearly showing that there is a rising tide of support for Taiwan from the international community and within public opinion.
In accordance with the government's overall strategic planning, the premier instructed the MOHW and related ministries and agencies to continue efforts to deepen cooperation with various countries and garner more international support, harnessing Taiwan's strengths in public health and shared values so as to achieve the goal of rejoining the WHA as soon as possible.