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進入《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Health minister arrives in Switzerland for WHA
/ Staff writer, with CNA
Minister of Health and Welfare Lin Tzou-yien （林奏延） on Saturday visited the Palais des Nations in Geneva to get a feel for the venue of the upcoming World Health Assembly （WHA）.
During his tour of the venue, Lin found the seat arranged for him and noticed a card on the seat that read Taipei Chinois, French for “Chinese Taipei,” Taiwan’s official designation at the assembly.
Asked if Taiwan’s delegation would meet with its Chinese counterpart, as it has in previous years, Lin said: “There are no such arrangements, but [we] will say ‘Hello’ to each other if we meet.”
Lin, who arrived in Geneva on Friday, said he has received an entry badge with his name on it, adding that he would take part in the annual meeting professionally and pragmatically with the goal of contributing to the global health system.
Lin is to be seated in the last row of the assembly hall, with representatives of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on his right and the Inter-Parliamentary Union on his left.
The assembly, the decisionmaking body of the WHO, begins today and runs until Saturday.
Taiwan, which is not a member of the WHO, has been invited to attend the meeting as an observer under the name “Chinese Taipei” every year since 2009.
However, unlike previous assemblies, in its invitation this year the WHO mentioned UN Resolution 2758, WHA Resolution 25.1 and the “one China” principle underlying the two documents.
Resolution 2758 was passed on Oct. 25, 1971, recognizing the People’s Republic of China as “the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations” and expelling the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek （蔣介石）.
WHA Resolution 25.1 expelled the Republic of China from the WHO in 1972.
The inclusion of the “one China” principle in the invitation was seen as an attempt to denigrate Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Asked about the invitation, Lin said that Taiwan’s participation is in accordance with the WHO charter, which defines health as a basic human right.
Taiwan is participating in the assembly to maintain the health rights of its people and to fulfill its international duty, because it is an indispensable part of the world’s quarantine system, Lin said.
The minister is heading a 24-person delegation, which includes 15 senior officials.
Lin assumed office on Friday last week, when Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文） of the Democratic Progressive Party （DPP） was sworn in as Taiwan’s first female president.
The inclusion of the “one China” principle in the WHO invitation was seen as one in a series of moves by Beijing to put pressure on Taiwan after the DPP gained power in presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 16.
Beijing has regularly blocked Taiwan from participating in formal international events, but its actions have been more pronounced since Tsai was elected.
Last month, Taiwan’s delegation was forced to leave a symposium held by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in Brussels due to pressure from China, something that had not occurred in recent years.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
