MOFA thanks global community for speaking up against Taiwan’s WHA exclusionTaiwan News
Date: 2020/11/14
By: Ching-Tse Cheng, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Saturday (Nov. 14) that Taiwan has received heightened support from countries around the world for its request to join the World Health Assembly (WHA).

In a statement, MOFA mentioned the strong international support for Taiwan's inclusion in global health conversations during the 73rd WHA meetings in May and November. It said 14 countries requested the World Health Organization (WHO) grant Taiwan approval to attend WHA with observer status.

MOFA said Taiwan's diplomatic allies, including Nauru, Eswatini, the Marshall Islands, and Honduras, praised the "Taiwan model" and defended it against Chinese representatives. It added the U.S. Ambassador in Geneva, Andrew Bremberg, presented a three-minute video to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom to highlight Taiwan's importance in the global management of the coronavirus pandemic.

Aside from the WHA session, several world leaders have openly supported Taiwan's request to join the WHO this year, said MOFA. These include former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo and Health Secretary Alex Azar, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod, Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde, German Deputy Foreign Minister Niels Annen, and British Minister of State Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon.    [FULL  STORY]