I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 237 

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 

JANUARY 3, 2019 

Mr. YOHO (for himself, Mr. ENGEL, and Mr. MCCAUL) 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: 

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

8 a specialized agency of the United Nations, charged 

9 with coordinating health efforts within the United 

10 Nations system. The World Health Assembly 


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

2 which convenes annually in May to set the policies 

3 and priorities of the organization. Statehood is not 

4 a requirement for attendance at the WHA, and nu5 merous observers, including non-members and non6 governmental organizations, attended the most re7 cent WHA in May 2017. 

8 (2) Taiwan began seeking to participate in the 

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

10 support from successive United States Administra11 tions, Congress, and like-minded WHO Member 

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

13 relations, Taiwan received an invitation to attend 

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

15 Taipei’’. Taiwan received the same invitation each 

16 year until 2016, when following the election of Presi17 dent Tsai-Ing Wen of the Democratic Progressive 

18 Party, Taiwan’s engagement in the international 

19 community began facing increased resistance from 

20 the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Taiwan’s in21 vitation to the 2016 WHA was received late and in22 cluded new language conditioning Taiwan’s partici23 pation on the PRC’s ‘‘one China principle’’. In 2017, 

24 Taiwan did not receive an invitation to the WHA. 


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1 (3) Taiwan remains a model contributor to 

2 world health, having provided financial and technical 

3 assistance to respond to numerous global health 

4 challenges. Taiwan has invested over $6 billion in 

5 international medical and humanitarian aid efforts 

6 impacting over 80 countries since 1996. In 2014, 

7 Taiwan responded to the Ebola crisis by donating $1 

8 million and providing 100,000 sets of personal pro9 tective equipment. Through the Global Cooperation 

10 and Training Framework, the United States and 

11 Taiwan have jointly conducted training programs for 

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

13 These diseases know no borders, and Taiwan’s need14 less exclusion from global health cooperation in15 creases the dangers presented by global pandemics. 

16 (4) Taiwan’s international engagement has 

17 faced increased resistance from the PRC. Taiwan 

18 was not invited to the 2016 Assembly of the Inter19 national Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), despite 

20 participating as a guest at the organization’s prior 

21 summit in 2013. Taiwan’s request to participate in 

22 the 2016 General Assembly of the International 

23 Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) was also 

24 rejected. In May 2017, PRC delegates disrupted a 

25 meeting of the Kimberley Process on conflict diaVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:10 Jan 16, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H237.IH H237

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1 monds held in Perth, Australia, until delegates from 

2 Taiwan were asked to leave. In June 2017, the Re3 public of Panama granted diplomatic recognition to 

4 the PRC, terminating a longstanding diplomatic re5 lationship with Taiwan. 

6 (5) Congress has established a policy of support 

7 for Taiwan’s participation in international bodies 

8 that address shared transnational challenges, par9 ticularly in the WHO. Congress passed H.R. 1794 

10 in the 106th Congress, H.R. 428 in the 107th Con11 gress, and S. 2092 in the 108th Congress to direct 

12 the Secretary of State to establish a strategy for, 

13 and to report annually to Congress on, efforts to ob14 tain observer status for Taiwan at the WHA. Con15 gress also passed H.R. 1151 in the 113th Congress, 

16 directing the Secretary to report on a strategy to 

17 gain observer status for Taiwan at the ICAO Assem18 bly, and H.R. 1853 in the 114th Congress, directing 

19 the Secretary to report on a strategy to gain ob20 server status for Taiwan at the INTERPOL Assem21 bly. However, in 2016 Taiwan did not receive invita22 tions to attend any of these events as an observer. 

23 (b) AUGMENTATION OF REPORT CONCERNING THE

24 PARTICIPATION OF TAIWAN IN THE WORLD HEALTH OR25 GANIZATION.— 


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

2 of Public Law 108–235 (118 Stat. 656) is amended 

3 by adding at the end the following new paragraph: 

4 ‘‘(3) An account of the changes and improve5 ments the Secretary of State has made to the 

6 United States plan to endorse and obtain observer 

7 status for Taiwan at the World Health Assembly, 

8 following any annual meetings of the World Health 

9 Assembly at which Taiwan did not obtain observer 

10 status.’’. 

11 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made 

12 by paragraph (1) shall take effect and apply begin13 ning with the first report required under subsection 

14 (c) of section 1 of Public Law 108–235 that is sub15 mitted after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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