Good on Charles Tannock. The Conservative MEP, who was over here to scoop a gong for championing Taiwan’s cause a few weeks back, heads the European’s Parliament’s Friends of Taiwan group, which has just issued something of a verbal bitch slap to that ghastly old harridan at the WHO Margaret Chan.
In a missive signed by 20 MEPs that comes on the heels of similar criticism from U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, Tannock demands that Chan reverse the WHO’s policy of referring to some mystery entity known as “Taiwan, Province of China.”
Let’s leave aside the water-muddying conflation of the nomenclature issue with that of Taiwan’s perennially failed bid for entry to the health body – an obviously much more serious issue.
Tannock fairly points out that neither UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, nor the WHA’s corresponding resolution 25.1 make any reference to Taiwan’s status or connection to the PRC. The thing is, you might just as well argue that there is, therefore, nothing stopping international bodies calling Taiwan what they like. Still, the point remains that the WHO is clearly meddling beyond its remit.
Tannock writes to Chan: “As DG of WHO, you are responsible for the internal policy of referring to Taiwan as a province of China. You are also a citizen of, and were nominated for your post by, the People’s Republic of China.”
The letter concludes (can you guess what it is yet?): “WHO’s continued insistence on referring to Taiwan as a province of China therefore not only undermines the organisation’s credibility but risks calling into question your personal impartiality and integrity.”
The dozing canine that the Greens have been refusing to let recline is what really happened when Taiwan finally got observer status at the WHA in 2009. Most of the evidence does point to government capitulation on the issue, which is sad but unsurprising.
As for Chan, unfortunately, I shouldn’t think the daft mare is all that fussed about her integrity being called into question. She’s got more than enough previous where Taiwan is concerned.
And, we should recall that this is the same woman who just last year painted a chipper picture of healthcare in North Korea, straight-faced observing that there was no sign of the obesity that was emerging elsewhere in Asia.
Why is it that it only ever seems to be the UK’s Tory MEP’s who make this kind of stand?
I just knew you were going to chime in with that G! Same way the Republicans are the country’s champions in the U.S.? I don’t want to be cynical but, as I once heard Derrida say in a speech at Sussex, there are no such things as friendhsips in politics – at least not in the normal sense of the word.
The Republican cheerleaders definitely often have ulterior motives (business, arms, both). Dunno about the MEPs but I do find it hard to believe these things are always for nobel motives only. On the flipside, for example, there’s France lobbying for an end to the EU moratorium on arms to China.
Anyway, whatever the reason, it can’t hurt and there should be a damn sight more of it. From the look of it, the letter it was signed by a cross-section of MEPS. They’re not even asking for ‘Taiwan’, either, but the de rigueur ‘Chinese Taipei’ designation. As you probably know, I’ve had to put up with that in my own work, as most sporting bodies of any consequence use that name.
This is a perfect example where not only did the Taiwanese stand up for their sovereignty, any world organization should speak up when it’s impartiality is disgraced and when it’s controlled in a certain way by that double-faced, barbaric government. Consider what brought about the riot in southern China just yesterday and how they are trying to cover up poisoning of children, to name just a few. Margaret Chen may well be condemned, but no one is more hypocritical than the president of “Chinese Taipei,” referred to as “You” by the SEF chairman Yunlin Chen, as Ma’s administration first agreed to “Taiwan Province of China” in order to become WHA observer to show off his feat. My friend Chen, who was once the chairman of the European alumni, got to sit in on the WHA conference in Geneva about 4 years ago, if I remember correctly, and saw how hard the Taiwan delegation tried to be invited to observe the WHA without sacrificing Taiwan’s dignity and accepting China’s condition: one China policy. When Ma took office and immediately Taiwan got it’s observer status in 2009, the memo made clear “there has been no change in the status of Taiwan Province of China.” He didn’t protest until the press exposed WHO terming Taiwan a part of China and public criticism has become overwhelming. Wake up, Taiwan!
Yep, the memo does look pretty embarrassing, despite them trying to downplay it,