I 

108TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4019

To address the participation of Taiwan in the World Health Organization. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 24, 2004

Mr. CHABOT (for himself, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. WEXLER, and Mr. ROHRABACHER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations 

A BILL

To address the participation of Taiwan in the World Health 

Organization.

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

3 SECTION 1. CONCERNING THE PARTICIPATION OF TAIWAN 

4 IN THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION. 

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

7 (1) Good health is important to every citizen of 

8 the world and access to the highest standards of 

9 health information and services is necessary to im10 prove the public health. 
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1 (2) Direct and unobstructed participation in 

2 international health cooperation forums and pro3 grams is beneficial for all parts of the world, espe4 cially today with the great potential for the cross5 border spread of various infectious diseases such as 

6 the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), tuber7 culosis, and malaria. 

8 (3) Taiwan’s population of 23,500,000 people is 

greater than that of 3 9 ⁄4 of the member states already 

10 in the World Health Organization (WHO). 

11 (4) Taiwan’s achievements in the field of health 

12 are substantial, including—

13 (A) attaining—

14 (i) 1 of the highest life expectancy lev15 els in Asia; and 

16 (ii) maternal and infant mortality 

17 rates comparable to those of western coun18 tries; 

19 (B) eradicating such infectious diseases as 

20 cholera, smallpox, the plague, and polio; and 

21 (C) providing children with hepatitis B 

22 vaccinations. 

23 (5) The United States Centers for Disease Con24 trol and Prevention and its counterpart agencies in 
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1 Taiwan have enjoyed close collaboration on a wide 

2 range of public health issues. 

3 (6) In recent years Taiwan has expressed a will4 ingness to assist financially and technically in inter5 national aid and health activities supported by the 

6 WHO. 

7 (7) On January 14, 2001, an earthquake, reg8 istering between 7.6 and 7.9 on the Richter scale, 

9 struck El Salvador. In response, the Taiwanese Gov10 ernment sent 2 rescue teams, consisting of 90 indi11 viduals specializing in firefighting, medicine, and 

12 civil engineering. The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign 

13 Affairs also donated $200,000 in relief aid to the 

14 Salvadoran Government. 

15 (8) The World Health Assembly has allowed ob16 servers to participate in the activities of the organi17 zation, including the Palestine Liberation Organiza18 tion in 1974, the Order of Malta, and the Holy See 

19 in the early 1950’s. 

20 (9) The United States, in the 1994 Taiwan Pol21 icy Review, declared its intention to support Tai22 wan’s participation in appropriate international or23 ganizations. 

24 (10) Public Law 106–137 required the Sec25 retary of State to submit a report to Congress on ef-
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1 forts by the executive branch to support Taiwan’s 

2 participation in international organizations, in par3 ticular the WHO. 

4 (11) In light of all benefits that Taiwan’s par5 ticipation in the WHO can bring to the state of 

6 health not only in Taiwan, but also regionally and 

7 globally, Taiwan and its 23,500,000 people should 

8 have appropriate and meaningful participation in the 

9 WHO. 

10 (12) On May 11, 2001, President Bush stated 

11 in a letter to Senator Murkowski that the United 

12 States ‘‘should find opportunities for Taiwan’s voice 

13 to be heard in international organizations in order to 

14 make a contribution, even if membership is not pos15 sible’’, further stating that the administration ‘‘has 

16 focused on finding concrete ways for Taiwan to ben17 efit and contribute to the WHO’’. 

18 (13) In his speech made in the World Medical 

19 Association on May 14, 2002, Secretary of Health 

20 and Human Services Tommy Thompson announced 

21 ‘‘America’s work for a healthy world cuts across po22 litical lines. That is why my government supports 

23 Taiwan’s efforts to gain observership status at the 

24 World Health Assembly. We know this is a con25 troversial issue, but we do not shrink from taking a 
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1 public stance on it. The people of Taiwan deserve 

2 the same level of public health as citizens of every 

3 nation on earth, and we support them in their ef4 forts to achieve it’’. 

5 (14) The Government of the Republic of China 

6 on Taiwan, in response to an appeal from the 

7 United Nations and the United States for resources 

8 to control the spread of HIV/AIDS, donated 

9 $1,000,000 to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tu10 berculosis, and Malaria in December 2002. 

11 (15) In 2003, the outbreak of Severe Acute 

12 Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) caused 73 deaths in 

13 Taiwan. 

14 (16) Avian influenza, commonly known as bird 

15 flu, has reemerged in Asia, with strains of the influ16 enza reported by the People’s Republic of China, 

17 Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, South 

18 Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. 

19 (17) The SARS and avian influenza outbreaks 

20 illustrate that disease knows no boundaries and em21 phasize the importance of allowing all people access 

22 to the WHO. 

23 (18) As the pace of globalization quickens and 

24 the spread of infectious disease accelerates, it is cru25 cial that all people, including the people of Taiwan, 
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1 be given the opportunity to participate in inter2 national health organizations such as the WHO. 

3 (19) The Secretary of Health and Human Serv4 ices acknowledged during the 2003 World Health 

5 Assembly meeting that ‘‘[t]he need for effective pub6 lic health exists among all peoples’’. 

7 (b) PLAN.—The Secretary of State is authorized to—

8 (1) initiate a United States plan to endorse and 

9 obtain observer status for Taiwan at the annual 

10 week-long summit of the World Health Assembly in 

11 May 2004 in Geneva, Switzerland; 

12 (2) instruct the United States delegation to the 

13 World Health Assembly in Geneva to implement that 

14 plan; and 

15 (3) introduce a resolution in support of observer 

16 status for Taiwan at the summit of the World 

17 Health Assembly. 

18 (c) REPORT CONCERNING OBSERVER STATUS FOR

19 TAIWAN AT THE SUMMIT OF THE WORLD HEALTH AS20 SEMBLY.—Not later than 30 days after the date of the 

21 enactment of this Act, and not later than April 1 of each 

22 year thereafter, the Secretary of State shall submit a re23 port to the Congress, in unclassified form, describing the 

24 United States plan to endorse and obtain observer status 

25 for Taiwan at the annual week-long summit of the World 
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1 Health Assembly (WHA) held by the World Health Orga2 nization (WHO) in May of each year in Geneva, Switzer3 land. Each report shall include the following: 

4 (1) An account of the efforts the Secretary of 

5 State has made, following the last meeting of the 

6 World Health Assembly, to encourage WHO member 

7 states to promote Taiwan’s bid to obtain observer 

8 status. 

9 (2) The steps the Secretary of State will take 

10 to endorse and obtain observer status at the next 

11 annual meeting of the World Health Assembly in 

12 Geneva, Switzerland.

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