President Tsai meets WHA action team
On the morning of May 26, President Tsai Ing-wen met with the members of Taiwan's World Health Assembly (WHA) action team. She said at this year's WHA meeting, we received support from our allies, but also from more like-minded countries like the US than ever before. The president said that the facts have shown that the more China suppresses Taiwan in the international community, the more the international community will rally around Taiwan. She also said that Taiwan is determined to contribute to world health, and announced a donation of US$1 million to the World Health Organization (WHO) to fund the fight against the Ebola virus.
The following is a translation of President Tsai's remarks:
China's unscrupulous suppression of Taiwan has now reached new heights by interfering with our participation in the WHA. But thanks to your efforts, the world has seen Taiwan's contributions to public health and healthcare. I want to thank everyone for giving your all for Taiwan.
External difficulties only serve to inspire our unity. This year, the WHA action team set new records by holding 60 bilateral meetings and five professional forums in Geneva. Through its professional achievements in public health and healthcare, Taiwan has shown the world that we can play a more active role.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-Chung (陳時中) was recently named a Diplomat of the Global Charter by the World Federation of Public Health Associations. This title recognizes Minister Chen's personal achievements, but also shows that the world recognizes Taiwan's excellence in public health and healthcare.
The theme of this year's WHA was "universal health coverage," which means that governments should provide affordable, universally available, and effective healthcare. Everyone knows that Taiwan's health insurance system is the best model for universal health coverage.
For political reasons, the WHO director-general has excluded the best model, leaving a gap in global health cooperation and disease prevention, and preventing Taiwan from contributing its healthcare expertise. So once again we want to express our regret, and lodge a solemn protest.
However, the facts have shown that the more China suppresses Taiwan in the international community, the more the international community will rally around Taiwan. At this year's WHA meeting, we received support from our allies, but also from more like-minded countries like the US than ever before.
On behalf of Taiwan, I want to extend our sincere thanks to those like-minded countries, our expatriate friends around the world who support us, professional healthcare organizations, and our colleagues at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Overseas Community Affairs Council.
I know that the Ebola virus is spreading again in Africa. Although we couldn't formally participate in the WHA, Taiwan is still determined to contribute to the world. So I want to announce a donation of US$1 million to the WHO to fund fight against the Ebola virus.
Minister Chen just gave me the flag the action team used in Geneva, signed by all the team members. These names represent Taiwan's drive to engage with the world, and expectations for Taiwan's international participation by people throughout society.
I'm going to put this flag in my office to remind myself every day. Engaging with the world and winning international support may be a long process. But every day I'm in office, our government will be getting ready, and overcoming challenges.
An opposition party says that if we accept China's definition of the 1992 Consensus, Taiwan could join the WHO and we wouldn't lose diplomatic allies. A few days ago, I saw an opposition party chairman in the media advocate ultimate unification. Opposition parties are free to advocate unification, but unification can't be chosen under pressure, and can't be the only option for Taiwan's young people in the future.
I want to remind everyone that we do indeed hope to join the WHO. And Taiwan also hopes to maintain friendly ties with the world. But we can't sell out the nation's dignity to achieve those hopes.
China won't stop suppressing us because we're not willing to concede our bottom line: sovereignty. So every time China suppresses Taiwan means one more time we've held onto our sovereignty and dignity. We don't bow to pressure. That's what it means to be Taiwanese.
I see Ambassador-at-Large Wu Yung-tung (吳運東) is with us today. He has taken part in "medical diplomacy" for over 20 years, and spearheaded the effort to win WHO participation for Taiwan. He's had many frustrations over these 20-plus years, but has never abandoned his ideals.
Eighty years old now, he's still fighting on the front lines and encouraging us not to give up. This is the Taiwan spirit. Dr. Wu and I both firmly believe that one day, Taiwan will join the WHO with dignity.
Minister Chen, the team leader, led the WHA action team delegation to the Presidential Office to meet with President Tsai. Also present at the meeting were National Security Council Secretary-General David T. Lee (李大維), Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), and National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥).