Premier Lin Chuan today denounced mainland China's efforts to block Taiwan from participating in this year's World Health Assembly (WHA), calling their actions highly regrettable, clearly unsatisfactory and globally irresponsible.
Speaking at the Cabinet's weekly meeting, the premier said globalization and modern transportation have created unprecedented opportunities for diseases to be transmitted far and wide. If mainland China blocks Taiwan's ability to participate in the global campaign against infectious disease, or interferes with these efforts for its own political gain, then it is being irresponsible not only to the people of Taiwan but to people in other parts of the world as well.
As a member of the global village, Taiwan has worked tirelessly to advance global health and promote research on emerging communicable diseases, and its considerable contributions have helped to safeguard the health of human beings around the world, the premier said. Taiwan's exclusion from the WHA this year will therefore undermine the right to health of everyone in Taiwan, and create a serious gap in the international health system.
Any action for any reason that suppresses Taiwan's participation in international health organizations undermines the health rights of the Taiwanese people. This is unfair to the people of Taiwan and adversely affects health security and disease control in the international community, the premier reiterated.
While denouncing Beijing's actions, Premier Lin also thanked other countries that supported and assisted Taiwan including the U.S., Canada, Japan, like-minded countries in Europe, diplomatic allies and various international organizations.
The premier called on Chinese authorities to leave politics out of global health discussions, adding that disregarding the dignity of the Taiwanese people could cause irreparable damage to the positive cross-strait interactions and good will that had been so hard to build.