Taiwan to re-emerge on world stage by attending WHO assembly

May 15, 2009, 6:42 GMT

   Taipei - Taiwan is to re-emerge on the world stage nearly four decades after being expelled from the United Nations by sending a delegation Friday to the World Health Assembly.

   After perseverance from Taiwan, pressure from the international community and improved Taiwan-China ties, the World Health Organization (WHO) has allowed Taiwan to attend the assembly, set for Monday through May 22, as an observer, becoming the first UN organization to make such a move since Taiwan's UN membership was revoked in 1971.

   Although the Taiwan delegation is to attend the meeting in Geneva under the name of Chinese-Taipei - as required by China, which sees Taiwan as its province - Taipei considers its presence at the assembly as a breakthrough in its battle to break out of its international isolation.

   Health Minister Yeh Chin-chuan is to lead a 15-member delegation at the assembly and plans to donate 5 million US dollars to the WHO to show Taiwan's support for the UN agency's work.

   'We will donate 5 million US dollars worth of medicines and vaccines to help Third World countries,' he told reporters.

   Yeh is to address the 193-member assembly on Taiwan's work in fighting epidemics and express Taipei's wish to contribute to global efforts to fight diseases and epidemics.

   'We will hold talks with the health ministers from the United States and the European Union and do not rule out discussing with China's health minister issues of mutual concern,' he said.

   Taiwan has been the seat of the Republic of China since 1949 when China's ruling Nationalists lost the Chinese Civil War to the Communists and fled to Taiwan to set up their government-in-exile.

   Taipei continued to hold China's seat in the United Nations until 1971 when it was expelled in favour of the Communist-led government in Beijing as the legitimate representative of China.

   Taiwan has been campaigning to rejoin the United Nations and UN-affiliated organizations, but the chances of its success are slim because China bars Taiwan from joining international groups whose membership is open only to sovereign states.

   However, as Taipei-Beijing ties have improved since Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou took office a year ago, China said that under the 'one China' principle, Beijing would consider Taiwan's demand to join international organizations.