II 

Calendar No. 110 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 812 

To direct the Secretary of State to develop a strategy to regain observer 

status for Taiwan in the World Health Organization, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 17 (legislative day, MARCH 16), 2021 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. INHOFE, Mr. COONS, and Mr. CRUZ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

JULY 28, 2021 

Reported by Mr. MENENDEZ, without amendment 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of State to develop a strategy to 

regain observer status for Taiwan in the World Health 

Organization, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. PARTICIPATION OF TAIWAN IN THE WORLD 

4 HEALTH ORGANIZATION. 

5 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find6 ings: 


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1 (1) The World Health Organization (WHO) is 

2 a specialized agency of the United Nations, charged 

3 with coordinating health efforts within the United 

4 Nations system. The World Health Assembly 

5 (WHA) is the decision-making body of the WHO, 

6 which convenes annually in May to set the policies 

7 and priorities of the organization. Statehood is not 

8 a requirement for attendance at the WHA, and nu9 merous observers, including non-members and non10 governmental organizations, attended the most re11 cent virtual WHA in May 2020. 

12 (2) Taiwan began seeking to participate in the 

13 WHO as an observer in 1997. In 2009, with strong 

14 support from successive United States Administra15 tions, Congress, and like-minded WHO Member 

16 States, and during a period of improved Cross-Strait 

17 relations, Taiwan received an invitation to attend 

18 the WHA as an observer under the name ‘‘Chinese 

19 Taipei’’. Taiwan received the same invitation each 

20 year until 2016, when following the election of Presi21 dent Tsai-Ing Wen of the Democratic Progressive 

22 Party, Taiwan’s engagement in the international 

23 community began facing increased resistance from 

24 the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Taiwan’s in25 vitation to the 2016 WHA was received late and inVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:53 Jul 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S812.RS S812

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1 cluded new language conditioning Taiwan’s partici2 pation on the PRC’s ‘‘one China principle’’. The 

3 WHO did not invite Taiwan to attend the WHA as 

4 an observer in 2017, 2018, 2019, or 2020. 

5 (3) Taiwan remains a model contributor to 

6 world health, having provided financial and technical 

7 assistance to respond to numerous global health 

8 challenges. Taiwan has invested over 

9 $6,000,000,000 in international medical and human10 itarian aid efforts impacting over 80 countries since 

11 1996. In 2014, Taiwan responded to the Ebola crisis 

12 by donating $1,000,000 and providing 100,000 sets 

13 of personal protective equipment. Through the Glob14 al Cooperation and Training Framework, the United 

15 States and Taiwan have jointly conducted training 

16 programs for experts to combat MERS, Dengue 

17 Fever, and Zika. In 2020, after successfully con18 taining the spread of the novel coronavirus within its 

19 borders while upholding democratic principles, Tai20 wan generously donated millions of pieces of per21 sonal protective equipment and COVID–19 tests to 

22 countries in need. These diseases know no borders, 

23 and Taiwan’s needless exclusion from global health 

24 cooperation increases the dangers presented by glob25 al pandemics. 


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1 (4) Taiwan’s international engagement has 

2 faced increased resistance from the PRC. Taiwan 

3 was not invited to the 2016 Assembly of the Inter4 national Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), despite 

5 participating as a guest at the organization’s prior 

6 summit in 2013. Taiwan’s requests to participate in 

7 the General Assembly of the International Criminal 

8 Police Organization (INTERPOL) have also been 

9 rejected. In May 2017, PRC delegates disrupted a 

10 meeting of the Kimberley Process on conflict dia11 monds held in Perth, Australia, until delegates from 

12 Taiwan were asked to leave. Since 2016, the Demo13 cratic Republic of Sa ̃o Tome ́ and Prı ́ncipe, the Re14 public of Panama, the Dominican Republic, Burkina 

15 Faso, the Republic of El Salvador, the Solomon Is16 lands, and the Republic of Kiribati have terminated 

17 longstanding diplomatic relationships with Taiwan 

18 and granted diplomatic recognition to the PRC. 

19 (5) Congress has established a policy of support 

20 for Taiwan’s participation in international bodies 

21 that address shared transnational challenges, par22 ticularly in the WHO. Congress passed H.R. 1794 

23 in the 106th Congress, H.R. 428 in the 107th Con24 gress, and S. 2092 in the 108th Congress to direct 

25 the Secretary of State to establish a strategy for, 


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1 and to report annually to Congress on, efforts to ob2 tain observer status for Taiwan at the WHA. Con3 gress also passed H.R. 1151 in the 113th Congress, 

4 directing the Secretary to report on a strategy to 

5 gain observer status for Taiwan at the ICAO Assem6 bly, and H.R. 1853 in the 114th Congress, directing 

7 the Secretary to report on a strategy to gain ob8 server status for Taiwan at the INTERPOL Assem9 bly. However, since 2016, Taiwan has not received 

10 an invitation to attend any of these events as an ob11 server. 

12 (b) AUGMENTATION OF REPORT CONCERNING THE

13 PARTICIPATION OF TAIWAN IN THE WORLD HEALTH OR14 GANIZATION.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (c) of section 1 

16 of the Act entitled, ‘‘To address the participation of 

17 Taiwan in the World Health Organization’’ (Public 

18 Law 108–235; 22 U.S.C. 290 note) is amended by 

19 adding at the end the following new paragraph: 

20 ‘‘(3) An account of the changes and improve21 ments the Secretary of State has made to the 

22 United States plan to endorse and obtain observer 

23 status for Taiwan at the World Health Assembly, 

24 following any annual meetings of the World Health 


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1 Assembly at which Taiwan did not obtain observer 

2 status.’’. 

3 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made 

4 by paragraph (1) shall take effect and apply begin5 ning with the first report required under subsection 

6 (c) of section 1 of the Act entitled, ‘‘To address the 

7 participation of Taiwan in the World Health Organi8 zation’’ (Public Law 108–235; 22 U.S.C. 290 note) 

9 that is submitted after the date of the enactment of 

10 this Act. 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS

pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
Calendar No. 110 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 812 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of State to develop a stratposes. World Health Organization, and for other pur- egy to regain observer status for Taiwan in the 

JULY 28, 2021 

Reported without amendment 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS