I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1145 

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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 18, 2021 

Mrs. KIM of California (for herself, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. 

MCCAUL, Mr. RESCHENTHALER, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. TIFFANY, Mr. 

GALLAGHER, Mr. NORMAN, Mr. BURCHETT, Mr. FERGUSON, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. MCKINLEY, Mr. BABIN, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. 

TIMMONS, Mr. WOMACK, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. WALTZ, Mrs. 

MURPHY of Florida, Mr. CURTIS, Mr. BERA, Mrs. MCCLAIN, Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota, Mr. GONZALEZ of Ohio, Mr. CASE, Mr. BACON, 

Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. SIRES, Mr. HARRIS, Mr. JACKSON, Mr. ROUZER, 

Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. TITUS, and Mr. CASTRO of Texas) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

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 16:18 Mar 13, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1145.IH H1145

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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 $6 billion in 

9 international medical and humanitarian aid efforts 

10 impacting over 80 countries since 1996. In 2014, 

11 Taiwan responded to the Ebola crisis by donating $1 

12 million and providing 100,000 sets of personal pro13 tective equipment. Through the Global Cooperation 

14 and Training Framework, the United States and 

15 Taiwan have jointly conducted training programs for 

16 experts to combat MERS, Dengue Fever, and Zika. 

17 In 2020, after successfully containing the spread of 

18 the novel coronavirus within its borders while up19 holding democratic principles, Taiwan generously do20 nated millions of pieces of personal protective equip21 ment and COVID-19 tests to countries in need. 

22 These diseases know no borders, and Taiwan’s need23 less exclusion from global health cooperation in24 creases the dangers presented by global 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 Public Law 108–235 (118 Stat. 656) is amended 

17 by adding at the end the following new paragraph: 

18 ‘‘(3) An account of the changes and improve19 ments the Secretary of State has made to the 

20 United States plan to endorse and obtain observer 

21 status for Taiwan at the World Health Assembly, 

22 following any annual meetings of the World Health 

23 Assembly at which Taiwan did not obtain observer 

24 status.’’. 


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1 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made 

2 by paragraph (1) shall take effect and apply begin3 ning with the first report required under subsection 

4 (c) of section 1 of Public Law 108–235 that is sub5 mitted after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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