Taipei: Eight countries' representative offices in Taiwan issued a joint statement on Monday, reiterating their support for Taiwan's meaningful engagement with the World Health Organization (WHO) and for Taipei's participation as an observer at the World Health Assembly (WHA), the decision-making body of the WHO.

According to Focus Taiwan, the joint statement comes as Taiwan has not received an invitation to the WHA's annual assembly, scheduled to be held from May 19-27 in Geneva this year. This marks the ninth consecutive year that the country has been excluded from the WHA.

The diplomatic offices voicing support for Taiwan include the British Office Taipei, the Australian Office Taipei, the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei, the Czech Economic and Cultural Office, the French Office in Taipei, the German Institute Taipei, the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, and the Lithuanian Trade Representative Office. These offices emphasized Taiwan's past role as a capable, engaged, and responsible member of the global health community, having participated in the WHA as an observer from 2009 to 2016.

Praising Taiwan's distinct capabilities and methods, these diplomatic entities highlighted the nation's significant public health expertise, democratic governance, and advanced technology, which they argue could bring considerable value to the WHA's deliberations. Despite this potential, Taiwan remains largely excluded from the international health system as the WHA's 78th session commences in Geneva. The offices described Taiwan's exclusion as "entirely unjustified," stating it undermines global public health cooperation and security, values enshrined in the founding documents of the WHO.

The joint statement also underscored the necessity of global cooperation to tackle infectious diseases and health hazards, pointing out that such threats transcend borders. The offices argued that including Taiwan as an observer would enable the WHO to fully demonstrate its commitment to "One World for Health."

Health Minister Chiu Tai-yuan echoed this sentiment, stating that excluding Taiwan from the WHA is a "loss for the world" and unfair to the people of Taiwan, given the island's leadership in medical care and disease prevention. Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China, was expelled from the WHO in 1972 after losing its United Nations seat when recognition switched to the People's Republic of China.

Taiwan had participated in WHA events as an observer under the designation "Chinese Taipei" from 2009 to 2016, a period when relations between Beijing and Taipei were warmer under Taiwan's then-ruling Kuomintang party. However, since 2017, Taiwan has faced exclusion from the WHA due to China's opposition, as it takes a hard line against Taiwan's current President Tsai Ing-wen and her Democratic Progressive Party, which advocates for Taiwan's sovereignty as an independent state.