The initiative has been criticized by Beijing, although Antony Blinken assures that Washington’s position does not violate the one-China policy.
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, “strongly” recommended this Tuesday to the World Health Organization (WHO) that it invite Taiwan to participate as an observer in the annual meeting of the organization, which will be held between 21 and May 30 in the Swiss city of Geneva.
“Inviting Taipei as an observer would exemplify WHO’s commitment to an inclusive approach to ‘health to all‘” Blinken said in a statement. The island has different capacities, including an “important experience” in public health and advanced technology that would be of great value at the meeting, he argued.
In addition, he reiterated that the US will continue to advocate for the return of Taiwan to all platforms of the UN and other international forums. At the same time, Blinken assured that Washington’s support for Taipei “is in line” with the one China policy.
For his part, the spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Wang Wenbin, quoted by Reuters, commented that the head of US diplomacy tries to confuse the public with his statements and urged to avoid using the WHO meeting to “exaggerate” Taiwan-related issues. Likewise, he asked the North American country to prove with facts their respect for the one-China policy and that their authorities do not support the independence of the island.