Taipei: Taiwan's top diplomat is attempting to arrange a visit to Geneva to participate in events organized by Taiwan to coincide with the annual World Health Assembly (WHA), as the nation has not received an invitation to the WHA for the tenth consecutive year.
According to Focus Taiwan, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung is working on a plan to join a team advocating for Taiwan's inclusion in the 79th WHA. Lin shared this information with opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmaker Yeh Yuan-chih, although he did not provide further details.
During a press event discussing Taiwan's efforts to join the WHA this year, Lin was asked again about the matter but refrained from providing additional information. He stated that the ministry would publicly announce the visit if the plan were finalized.
The WHA is the annual decision-making meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO). Taiwan has not attended since 2016, when it participated as an observer amidst better relations with Beijing. Instead, Taiwan has been holding events in Geneva, where the WHO is headquartered and the WHA is held, to coincide with the assembly. However, no Taiwanese foreign minister has ever visited Geneva publicly or attended these events in the Swiss city.
Taiwan and Switzerland do not maintain official diplomatic ties, which makes it unlikely for Lin to visit Geneva in an official capacity. Historically, only Taiwan's health minister has been part of the WHA action team, organized jointly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
At Monday's press event, both Lin and Health Minister Shih Chung-liang announced that this year's action team would hold an exhibition showcasing Taiwan's smart healthcare innovations and overseas medical aid programs. The Taiwan Smart Medical and HealthTech Expo is scheduled for May 17-19 in Geneva, featuring 30 Taiwanese companies specializing in innovative healthcare as well as leading medical centers from Taiwan.
"We want to show the world that despite not being a member of the WHO nor being able to attend the WHA, Taiwan is still contributing to global healthcare," Lin stated.
The 79th WHA is set to occur in Geneva from May 18-23, where WHO member states will gather to set global health policies and priorities. Despite hopes for a breakthrough, Taiwan has not received an invitation to attend. China announced on Monday that it had decided against agreeing to the "Taiwan area" attending this year's WHA.
Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China (ROC), withdrew from the WHO in 1972 following the U.N.'s recognition of the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate representative of China. Since then, Taiwan has been unable to attend the WHA even as an observer due to pressure from Beijing, apart from the period between 2009 and 2016 when relations with China were warmer under Taiwan's then-KMT government.