Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Once again, Taiwan has witnessed that the word of Ma Ying-joke is a hollow as an empty gourd. After years of Ma telling the Taiwanese that he is protecting its sovereignty, that he would not mention independence and that he would not move toward unification, reality exposes his deception. Ma touted that the observer status that he has gained Taiwan as Chinese Taipei in the World Health Assembly (WHA) was a great achievement. A recent memo reveals that this was and still is a sham.

First one must remember that the observer status Taiwan has is a year by year status; it must always be approved by China. China can dump Taiwan at will and deny its status whenever it wants. Is that a great achievement by Ma?

A “leaked” internal memo from the WHO made public yesterday raised new questions about Taiwan’s participation in the International Health Regulations (IHR).

The memo, handed out by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲), states: “Taiwan, as a province of China, cannot be party to the IHR” — an agreement that dovetails with Beijing’s position.

World Health Assembly (WHA) Resolution 25.1, referring to the 1972 clause that ejected Taiwan’s representatives to the WHO, remains a “touchstone for such matters,” the confidential document said.