I
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4004
Concerning the participation of Taiwan in the World Health Organization.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 16, 2000
Mr. BROWN of Ohio (for himself, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. STARK, Mr.
ENGLISH, Mr. LARSON, Mr. ROHRABACHER, and Mr. WEXLER) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Inter-
national Relations
A BILL
Concerning the participation of Taiwan in the World Health
Organization.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. CONCERNING THE PARTICIPATION OF TAIWAN
IN 
THE 
WORLD 
HEALTH 
ORGANIZATION
(WHO).
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress makes the following
findings:
(1) Good health is a basic right for every citizen
of the world and access to the highest standards of
health information and services is necessary to help
guarantee this right.
(2) Direct and unobstructed participation in
international health cooperation forums and pro-
grams is therefore crucial for all parts of the world,
especially with today’s greater potential for the
cross-border spread of various infectious diseases
such as AIDS.
(3) Taiwan’s population of 22,000,000 people is
larger than that of 3⁄4 of the member states already
in the WHO.
(4) Taiwan’s achievements in the field of health
are substantial, including one of the highest life ex-
pectancy levels in Asia, maternal and infant mor-
tality rates comparable to those of western countries,
the eradication of such infectious diseases as chol-
era, smallpox, and the plague, and the first to be rid
of polio and provide children with free hepatitis B
vaccinations.
(5) In 1998, an outbreak of enterovirus 71
killed 70 Taiwanese children whose deaths could
have been prevented if Taiwan would have had ac-
cess to the WHO.
(6) In recent years Taiwan has expressed a will-
ingness to assist financially and technically in WHO-
supported international aid and health activities, but
has been unable to render such assistance.
(7) The WHO has allowed observers to partici-
pate in the activities of the organization, including
the Palestinian Liberation Organization, the Knights
of Malta, and the Vatican.
(8) The United States, in the 1994 Taiwan Pol-
icy Review, declared its intention to support Tai-
wan’s participation in appropriate international or-
ganizations.
(9) Public Law 106–137 required the Secretary
of State to submit a report to Congress on adminis-
tration efforts to support Taiwan’s participation in
international organizations, in particular the WHO.
(10) On January 4, 2000, the State Depart-
ment issued its report to the Congress, ‘‘Taiwan
Participation in the World Health Organization,’’
which notes that ‘‘historically, observers have some-
times been authorized at the World Health Assembly
meetings’’ but refuses to follow the spirit of the
1994 Taiwan Policy Review and endorse Taiwanese
participation in this manner.
(11) In light of all benefits that Taiwan’s par-
ticipation in the WHO can bring to the state of
health not only in Taiwan, but also regionally and
globally, Taiwan and its 22,000,000 people should
have appropriate and meaningful participation in the
WHO.
(b) PLAN.—The Secretary of State shall initiate a
United States plan to endorse and obtain observer status
for Taiwan at the annual week-long summit of the World
Health Assembly in May 2000 in Geneva, Switzerland,
and shall instruct the United States delegation to Geneva
to implement such plan.
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 14 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall
submit a written report to the Congress in unclassified
form containing the plan required under subsection (b).
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