WHAT’S IN A NAME?Freddy Lim said that the new government should seek formal WHA membership, while the NPP proposed legislation to protect linguistic pluralism

Taipei Times
Date: May 25, 2016
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter

Taiwan’s delegation to the World Health Assembly (WHA) did not experience any unfriendly behavior from China’s delegation, but Taiwan’s participation under the name of “Chinese Taipei” is the result of Chinese oppression, New Power Party (NPP) Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) said yesterday.

Lim, who is a member of Taiwan’s delegation in Geneva, told a news conference in Taipei via video conference that China’s delegation did not act unfriendly to Taiwan’s or mention Taiwan in its speech, which was focused on China’s public health issues.

“However, although Taiwan’s delegation was not treated unfairly, the name Chinese Taipei is an oppression. While past administrations had to make concessions to gain access to the WHA, the new government should make its position clear and seek formal membership without sacrificing Taiwan’s dignity,” the lawmaker said.

At a sideline meeting on Sunday, Lim protested against UN Resolution 2758 and the “one China” principle that underlay the invitation for Taiwan to join the assembly, which were mentioned for the first time since 2009 when Taiwan began attending the WHA as an observer.     [FULL  STORY]