Diseases know no borders, so don’t shut out countries that can help

By Winston Wen-yi Chen
APRIL 8, 2021

Nearly three million people have died over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this global fight against the virus, the international community just cannot afford to ignore the experiences and contributions that Taiwan is able and willing to provide.

Taiwan has seen 1,030 cases and 10 deaths as of March 30, 2021. Taiwan has earned widespread international acclaim for its anti-pandemic excellence, leading Bloomberg News to name President Tsai Ing-wen one of the most influential leaders in the world.

A mix of cutting-edge digital technologies, a strong detection and response system, targeted public-private partnerships, and a co-operative and democratic citizenry created the “Taiwan Model” of pandemic management.

Early, proactive, transparent, and communicative, this model was an outgrowth of the many unique advantages of Taiwanese society. We have conducted four rounds of international assistance to send 54 million surgical masks and other PPE to more than 80 countries including Canada, supporting as best we could the global effort of fighting COVID-19. Taiwan’s success has also allowed us to create Asia’s first COVID-free travel bubble with our diplomatic ally, Palau, since the start of the pandemic.

Furthermore, Taiwan is taking its experience in managing COVID-19 to battle other infectious diseases and support countries in need. For instance, Taiwan was recently invited to take part in a high-level event organized by the United States and the World Health Organization to strengthen Africa’s resilience and response to Ebola, with the donation of PPE, medical aid, and additional financial support. Taiwan also proactively shares information and its expertise by organizing public health-related forums through the Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF).

Diseases know no borders, and COVID-19 is a global challenge. Thus, our solutions must be global in scope. We need an approach wherein all countries are at the table as equal partners, collectively sharing their experiences and expertise to create a truly united approach to pandemic management. Ensuring this broad co-operation will be the most important task of the upcoming World Health Assembly (WHA) in May.

And yet, notwithstanding our success in battling the virus, Taiwan is still not able to participate in the WHA, even as an observer. This also comes despite the strong support for Taiwan’s participation among democratic countries and diplomatic allies.

Taiwan had observer status in the WHA from 2009 to 2016. But that status was discontinued due to obvious political pressure. Fortunately, the pandemic has catalyzed international support for Taiwan’s participation in global disease prevention efforts.

During the two WHA sessions held in 2020, appeals came from high-level government officials throughout the world, including the U.S., Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, France, the U.K., Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Seventeen-hundred Parliamentarians from more than 80 countries voiced their support for Taiwan’s inclusion. The growing support is clearly visible when considering the well-over 3,500 news reports and articles on the topic.

Most recently, U.S. Senators Jim Inhofe and Bob Menendez—a Republican and a Democrat—reintroduced a bill which calls on U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to support Taiwan’s efforts to join the WHA as an observer. The bill, which urges Blinken to develop a concrete action plan, acknowledges Taiwan’s success in battling the pandemic, its modern health-care system, and the global public good that would be supported by Taiwan’s participation.

The Foreign Affairs Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives also approved a bipartisan bill to help Taiwan regain its Observer status in the WHO. The bill recognizes Taiwan is a strong ally of the U.S. and has been a leader in global health security.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also been consistent and clear in his support for Taiwan’s participation in the WHA, noting that “we believe that Taiwan’s role as an observer in World Health Assembly meetings is in the best interest of the international health community.” Trudeau similarly recognized that Taiwan is “an important partner in the fight against this epidemic.” Much like in the U.S. and other countries, there is a broad, multiparty consensus in Canada for the notion that Taiwan should be allowed to fully participate in the meetings, activities, and mechanisms that make up the WHO, including the WHA.

We hope that like-minded countries like Canada will leverage their positions in the international community and their domestic political consensuses to take urgent and coordinated action which will help secure Taiwan’s spot at the international table.

In all of this, our goals are simple and clear: Taiwan can help, and Taiwan is helping. We want to be able to share our experiences in managing COVID-19 and other diseases so that the next pandemic may be brought to heel sooner.