President Tsai Ing-wen (right) and Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung display a flag signed by officials, lawmakers, medical experts and scholars in support of the delegation’s efforts on the sidelines of the 71st WHA at the Office of the President May 26 in Taipei City. (Courtesy of Office of the President)

President Tsai Ing-wen praised May 26 the delegation led by Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung to the 71st World Health Assembly in Geneva for strengthening awareness of Taiwan’s commitment and contributions to global health security.
 
In spite of its exclusion from the WHA for political reasons, Taiwan is determined to expand its support for health care development around the world, Tsai said. As part of related efforts, the nation has offered a US$1 million donation to the World Health Organization to help tackle the recent Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo, the president added.
 
Tsai made the remarks while meeting with Chen and members of the WHA delegation at the Office of the President in Taipei City following their return to Taiwan earlier the same day.
 
According to the president, Taiwan’s bid for WHA participation received more support than ever before from allies and like-minded countries. This demonstrates that the more China attempts to suppress the nation’s international space, the more it incites the world’s ire and firms up countries’ backing for Taiwan, she said.
 
The delegation held a record 60 meetings and five technical forums on the sidelines of the WHA, Tsai said, adding that these events facilitated substantive exchanges between officials, medical experts and scholars from home and abroad.
 
Tsai noted that Chen also received the prestigious Diplomat of the Global Charter award from the World Federation of Public Health Associations. This is not simply a personal honor for the minister, but represents wider international recognition of Taiwan’s health care achievements, she said.
 
Expressing deep regret at the WHO’s decision to exclude the nation from this year’s WHA due to pressure from China, the president said that this has needlessly created a gap in the global disease prevention network and hindered the nation’s efforts to expand its international contributions. Taiwan will continue to uphold national dignity and sovereignty, and will not succumb to China’s political pressure, she added.
 
Taiwan participated in the annual WHA—the decision-making body of the WHO—as an observer from 2009 to 2016 following 38 years of exclusion. Its involvement is widely recognized as helping strengthen disease prevention efforts and safeguard global health security. (KWS-E)