Taiwan’s Exclusion from WHO: A Political Consequences of China’s Objections

Taiwan’s exclusion from the World Health Organization (WHO) is a result of member states’ decision not to invite it to the organization’s annual meeting in Geneva on Monday. This decision was made in response to China’s objections, as China considers Taiwan to be a part of its territory. Despite being able to attend WHO General Assembly meetings as an observer from 2009 to 2016 under former President Ma Ying-jeou, Taiwan has faced exclusion from most international organizations since then.

Beijing began preventing Taiwan’s participation in 2017 after President Tsai Ing-wen took office, as she did not agree with the notion that China and Taiwan are part of “one China.” However, the Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva stated that Taiwan’s participation in the WHO General Assembly has no political basis and accused Taiwan officials of politicizing the health issue. In response, the Taiwanese Minister of Health emphasized that Taiwan’s participation in the WHO and its activities is a health matter and not a political issue.