Washington, May 12 (CNA) A group of Taiwanese businesspeople residing in the United States rallied in front of Capitol Hill Sunday to champion Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly (WHA).
Members of the event's organizer, Global Federation of Chinese Business Women of Baltimore Chapter, held a large Republic of China (Taiwan) national flag, urging the World Health Organization (WHO) not to politicize health issues.
Taiwan has been excluded from the WHA, the decision-making body of the WHO, since 2017 due to pressure from China, and has not received an invitation to participate in this year's meeting.
As a result, the federation's 25 U.S. chapters and others in seven countries including Japan, France, South Africa and Brazil will each hold campaign events to call for Taiwan's inclusion, the federation's Vice Chairwoman Pai Yue-chu (白越珠) told CNA.
Taiwan should not be excluded from the WHA, particularly given that the theme of this year's assembly was "All for Health, Health for All," Pai said.
Taiwan can make contributions as it possesses an advanced healthcare system, highly developed medical technologies, and a wealth of expertise, she said.
Over the past decade, Pai added, Taiwan has also assisted many countries in recovering from various disasters.
Also attending the rally, Robin Cheng (鄭榮俊), deputy representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in the United States, said Taiwan's inclusion in the WHA is vital to the world.
"During the COVID-19 pandemic, we learned a crucial lesson: Taiwan's absence from the global public health system represents a significant loss for the international community," he said.
