Washington, July 21 (CNA) U.S. Congressman Ted Yoho (R-FL), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, has introduced a bill that seeks to help Taiwan participate in World Health Organization (WHO) meetings, according to a statement by his office.
The draft bill is focused on improving the U.S. strategy for promoting Taiwan's participation in the WHO, the statement said. It instructs the Secretary of State to report on the State Department's efforts to obtain observer status for Taiwan at the World Health Assembly (WHA), following any meetings of the assembly for which Taiwan was not granted such status.
The WHA, which is the WHO's decision-making body, meets annually to discuss health issues of global concern and to formulate policies.
"With an ever growing and increasingly connected global population, it is important that we not let geopolitics get in the way of public health," Yoho said in the statement.
Taiwan has proven to be an important participant in the effort to identify, study, and combat global health crises, he said. Despite this, China this year succeeded in preventing Taiwan from participating in the WHA, as Beijing ratcheted up the pressure on Taiwan's international space, he said.
"China's shortsighted attempts to restrict Taiwan's contributions to global health endanger us all, as diseases know no borders," Yoho said. The legislation will ensure that U.S. diplomatic efforts advocate effectively for Taiwan's participation in the WHO, he said.
Yoho also urged Beijing to "accept the role Taiwan has played in improving global health."
The bipartisan bill is being sponsored by Ed Royce (R-CA), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Eliot Engel (D-NY), ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Brad Sherman (D-CA), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific; and Representatives Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Steve Chabot (R-OH), according to the statement.
"Taiwan has contributed greatly to international efforts to prevent epidemics and provide critical humanitarian aid," Royce was quoted as saying in the statement. "The wrongful decision this year by the World Health Assembly to exclude Taiwan should not be allowed to happen again."
Taiwan had hoped to attend this year's WHA in Geneva from May 22-31 as an observer, as it had done in the past eight years, but it did not receive an invitation from the WHO because of China's opposition.
Taiwan first attended the WHA meeting as an observer in 2009, a year after former President Ma Ying-jeou came to power and began pursuing a more conciliatory policy toward Beijing. Taiwan had taken part in every WHA meeting since then, until this year.
Taiwan's exclusion this year was widely seen as part of China's efforts to clamp down on Taiwan's international participation, a strategy that has become more aggressive since President Tsai Ing-wen of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), who is less conciliatory toward China, came to power in May 2016.
