Taiwan set to be iced out of annual WHO assembly after Chinese objections

Taiwan looks likely to be again excluded from an upcoming annual World Health Organization (WHO) meeting, amid objections to Taiwan’s inclusion by the Chinese – and as the U.S. calls on WHO leaders to extend an invitation. 

The World Health Assembly is taking place on May 18-19, and will be held virtually and focus principally on the coronavirus pandemic.

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In addition to having outcome-deriving authority over the WHO, the assembly is responsible for appointing WHO's director-general, supervising the financial policies of the organization, and reviewing and approving the proposed program budget. In addition, it "considers reports of the executive board, which it instructs in regard to matters upon which further action, study, investigation or report may be required." The assembly could be the launching pad for an investigation into the WHO's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

A Taiwanese spokesperson told Fox News that the country, which has seen significant success in its handling of the ongoing coronavirus crisis, had not yet received an invite, and has not received one since 2016. Taiwan had been annually invited as an observer since 2009.

That year – 2016 – was the same year that the pro-independence President Tsai Ing-wen took office. Beijing does not recognize Taiwan as an independent country and has pressured the U.N. and other international organizations not to recognize it as such.

The spokesperson said that Taiwan’s participation in both the WHA and many WHO meetings have been blocked because of Chinese political interference and pressure on the WHO.

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But WHO officials have claimed that the matter is out of their hands. WHO legal counsel Derek Walton told reporters last week that any potential Taiwanese involvement "is a question for the 194 members of WHO, the member governments."

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"It's their decision and indeed a proposal has already been made, as it has been in recent years, for this matter to be considered by the health assembly itself and that is a question which is properly for the member states," he said.

On Monday, WHO principal legal officer Steven Solomon told reporters that officials had "no mandate" to invite Taiwan, according to Reuters.

But the U.S. is not buying that claim, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claiming instead that Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has the power to invite them in an observer capacity. 

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"Today I want to call upon all nations, including those in Europe, to support Taiwan’s participation as an observer at the World Health Assembly and in other relevant United Nations venues," he said this month "I also call upon WHO Director-General Tedros to invite Taiwan to observe this month’s WHA, as he has the power to do, and as his predecessors have done on multiple occasions."

It’s a move that has been backed by a number of other countries, such as New Zealand, which have urged Beijing to remove its objections to Taiwan’s participation.

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The U.S. has been lobbying for Taiwan to be brought into the WHO as a whole, particularly as it pushes back at what it sees as a disproportionate influence by the Chinese at the global health body.

President Trump paused funding to the WHO last month amid a months-long investigation into how the agency handled the outbreak of the coronavirus, and whether it is too "China-centric" in its approach.

Fox News’ Hollie McKay contributed to this report.