U.S., Taiwan hold meeting on expanding international participation
ROC Central News Agency
04/02/2022 06:35 PM
Washington, April 1 (CNA) United States and Taiwan officials held a high-level working group meeting in the U.S. on Thursday about how to expand Taipei's international participation, according to the U.S. State Department.
In a statement released on Friday, the State Department said the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) had convened high-ranking representatives from the department and Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) for consultations in Washington, D.C. on expanding Taipei's participation in United Nations agencies and in other international organizations.
"This discussion focused on opportunities for Taiwan's participation as an observer in the World Health Assembly (WHA) in May and the possibilities for Taiwan's participation at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)," the State Department said in the statement.
"The two sides also discussed Taiwan's contributions through its membership or meaningful participation across other multilateral fora, including regional organizations and multilateral initiatives," the State Department said.
"All participants recognized the importance of working closely with all those who share our concerns regarding attempts to exclude Taiwan from contributing its expertise, resources, energy, and generosity to the international community," the State Department added.
According to the State Department, the meeting was attended by a U.S. delegation comprising State Department Assistant Secretary for International Organization Affairs Michele J. Sison, Deputy Assistant Secretaries for International Organization Affairs Nerissa Cook and Jane Rhee, U.S. Senior Official for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Matt Murray, and AIT Managing Director Ingrid Larson.
The Taiwan delegation included TECRO Representative Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), TECRO Deputy Representative Wang Liang-yu (王良玉), Secretary General of MOFA Lily Hsu (徐儷文), Director General of MOFA's International Organizations Department Sharon Wu (吳尚年), Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) New York Director General James Lee (李光章), and TECO Geneva Director General Nicole Su (蘇瑩君), the State Department said.
In response, MOFA expressed its gratitude in Taipei on Saturday, saying the high-level working group meeting had been held in person for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic started in early 2020 to show the U.S.' "rock-solid" friendship and support for Taiwan.
MOFA said the meeting recognized Taiwan's constructive role in multinational cooperation in the post-pandemic era and reiterated that Washington would continue to extend assistance to Taipei to expand its presence on the world stage and push critical global agendas.
While expanding its international participation, MOFA added, Taiwan will continue to work with like-minded countries such as the U.S. to contribute more to maintaining the international order and strengthening multinational governance and regional cooperation.
The high-level working group meeting was held before the 75th WHA, a decision-making body of the World Health Organization, is scheduled to open on May 22 and run through May 28. The WHO is a U.N. agency that focuses on global health issues.
Taiwan, whose official name is the Republic of China, was expelled from the United Nations in 1971 and from the WHO in 1972.
Since then, Taiwan has not been able to participate in the WHA, except for 2009-2016, when it attended as an observer through an invitation from the WHO amid warmer cross-Taiwan Strait relations.
(By Stacy Hsu, Huang Ya-shih and Frances Huang)
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