WASHINGTON – Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), co-chairmen of the Senate Taiwan Caucus, today released the below statements following the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s unanimous passage of their legislation to direct the State Department to develop a strategy to assist Taiwan in obtaining observer status at the World Health Assembly (WHA), the decision-making body of the World Health Organization, ahead of its annual global assembly later this year.
In the face of mounting hostility from the People’s Republic of China and pressures to exclude Taiwan from the WHA and other bodies, Co-Chairs Menendez and Inhofe have continued to champion Taiwan’s participation in appropriate international organizations.
“China’s efforts to isolate and deny Taiwan any form of agency or international engagement not only undermine the global recovery from the novel coronavirus pandemic, but also threaten international economic and political security,” Chairman Menendez said. “As the world seeks to stop the spread of one of the most deadly infectious diseases in modern history, I am very pleased to see the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approve this important legislation that demonstrates our dedication to advancing global health and reaffirms our commitment to defend Taiwan’s seat at the table in the face of increasing aggression from Beijing.”
“China’s continued bullying of Taiwan is unacceptable,” Senator Inhofe said. “Taiwan is a global leader in medical technology and humanitarian aid, yet the People’s Republic has done everything in its power to block them from the World Health Assembly. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee made the right call in passing legislation to develop a strategy to assist our friends from Taiwan in obtaining observer status at the WHA. I hope it can pass the full Senate soon. ”
Find a copy of the legislation HERE.
###