May 15, 2003

MEMORANDUM TO: OPINION LEADERS

FROM: ELLEN BORK, Deputy Director

SUBJECT: Taiwan & the World Health Organization

Next week, at the World Health Assembly meeting in Geneva, democratic Taiwan will not be represented. Communist China, which covered up the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in China for more than four months, and refused to allow the WHO to help Taiwan with its own cases of SARS, will be.

Yesterday, the Congress passed the most recent expression of U.S. support for Taiwan's admission to the World Health Organization. Successive congresses have passed and U.S. presidents have signed into law, provisions requiring the United States to actively pursue efforts to bring about Taiwan's membership in the WHO as an observer. Moreover, the Taiwan Relations Act requires the United States Government to resist mainland coercion that would jeopardize Taiwan's social or economic system.

Since entering office, President Bush has expressed support for Taiwan's observer status. So have members of his administration, including Secretary for Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson and Assistant Secretary of State James A. Kelly. Members of Congress have written to Secretary of State Colin Powell urging a more active effort by the administration on behalf of Taiwan.

Without a more serious effort by Washington, Taiwan will not get observer status. After signing Congress's latest resolution on Taiwan and the WHO, President Bush should instruct his ambassadors throughout the world to tell their host governments that Taiwan's admission to the WHO as an observer is a priority. Long standing U.S. policy supports it. Global health requires it.