Taiwan Protests Against WHO’s Denigration

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Taipei, May 9 (CNA) Taiwan's representative office in Geneva has been ordered to lodge a protest with the World Health Organization (WHO) for denigrating its sovereignty by calling it a "province of China," Executive Yuan spokesman Philip Yang said Monday.

In addition, Department of Health Minister Chiu Wen-ta will also voice a protest against the WHO's denigration of Taiwan's separate sovereign status when he attends this year's World Health Assembly (WHA) -- the WHO's governing body -- later this month in Geneva, Yang said.

Yang was responding to news that an opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator obtained a letter issued by the office of World Health Organization (WHO) Secretary-General Margaret Chan dated Sept. 14, 2010 that the lawmaker said denigrated Taiwan.

The letter, addressed to WHO regional directors and assistant directors-general, described procedures to be followed in implementing the International Health Regulations (2005) with respect to "the Taiwan Province of China."

According to DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling, an attachment to the letter said documents or information referred to in WHO publications needed to use the terminology "the Taiwan Province of China" and "be listed or shown as falling under China and not separately as if they referred to a State."

The letter also confirmed that the WHO and China signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in 2005 on Taiwan's participation in the body and the IHR, Kuan said.

Yang said Taiwan has consistently referred to itself as "Chinese Taipei" in its participation in the WHA as an observer and its epidemic reports to the IHR.

"Chiu has also received an invitation to attend this year's WHA as Chinese Taipei's health minister," Yang added.

Speaking on the same occasion, Deputy Foreign Minister Shen Lyu-shun confirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has directed the country's representative office in Geneva to protest the WHO's denigrating definition of Taiwan.

Shen said the ministry was aware of the so-called WHO confidential letter, but he declined to divulge when it obtained the information. "We are obligated to protect the source of the information," he added.

On the WHO's unilateral designation of Taiwan as a province of China, Shen said Taiwan has a "three noes policy" -- no effect, no recognition and inaction -- toward any decision reached without Taiwan's prior consent.

"None of the decisions are applicable to Taiwan," he contended.

While Taiwan does not like the "Chinese Taipei" designation, either, it is a somewhat acceptable title in consideration of the current international climate, Shen said.

The official also stressed that whenever any international organization refers to Taiwan using an unjust or inappropriate name, the MOFA tends to seek a correction.

"However, we cannot succeed on every occasion given the unfavorable international situation," he acknowledged.

In one recent case, he said, a United Nations specialized agency recently intended to send staff members to Taiwan.

In its official visa application letter, the agency addressed Taiwan as "Taiwan, China." Shen said the MOFA returned the letter to the U.N. agency, which later changed the title.

"We would never accept any designation that downgrades or denigrates our national dignity, " Shen stressed, though he did not explain why the ministry did not protest immediately in this case when it learned of the WHO letter.

Shen said Taiwan's health minister will still head a delegation to attend the 2011 WHA, which opens in Geneva on May 16.

"We will participate in the event in line with the principles of professionalism and protection of our national sovereignty, " Shen said.

After nearly 13 years of effort, Taiwan was invited to attend the WHA as an observer in 2009 for the first time thanks to President Ma Ying-jeou's flexible diplomatic policy that has helped improve relations across the Taiwan Strait and reduced Beijing's resistance to Taiwan's presence on such occasions.

This year, Taiwan has been invited to attend the WHA for a third time.

"We should not miss this opportunity to forge closer ties with the world health community to enhance people's welfare and safeguard national interests," Shen said.

In January 2009, the WHO also agreed to include Taiwan in the IHR mechanism by designating Taiwan's Department of Health as "Point of Contact in Taipei."

Through this conduit, Shen said, Taiwan has received large volumes of useful first-hand information about the H1N1 epidemic in 2009 and radiation levels from Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which as crippled by a devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan on March 11.