IIB 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 353 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
JANUARY 23 (legislative day, JANUARY 22), 2019 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 
AN ACT 
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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. PARTICIPATION OF TAIWAN IN THE WORLD 
HEALTH ORGANIZATION. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
(1) The World Health Organization (WHO) is 
a specialized agency of the United Nations, charged 
with coordinating health efforts within the United 
Nations system. The World Health Assembly 
(WHA) is the decision-making body of the WHO, 
which convenes annually in May to set the policies 
and priorities of the organization. Statehood is not 
a requirement for attendance at the WHA, and nu-
merous observers, including non-members and non- 
governmental organizations, attended the most re-
cent WHA in May 2018. 
(2) Taiwan began seeking to participate in the 
WHO as an observer in 1997. In 2009, with strong 
support from successive United States Administra-
tions, Congress, and like-minded WHO Member 
States, and during a period of improved Cross-Strait 
relations, Taiwan received an invitation to attend 
the WHA as an observer under the name ‘‘Chinese 
Taipei’’. Taiwan received the same invitation each 
year until 2016, when following the election of Presi-
dent Tsai-Ing Wen of the Democratic Progressive 
Party, Taiwan’s engagement in the international 
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community began facing increased resistance from 
the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Taiwan’s in-
vitation to the 2016 WHA was received late and in-
cluded new language conditioning Taiwan’s partici-
pation on the PRC’s ‘‘one China principle’’. In 2017 
and 2018, Taiwan did not receive an invitation to 
the WHA. 
(3) Taiwan remains a model contributor to 
world health, having provided financial and technical 
assistance to respond to numerous global health 
challenges. Taiwan has invested over $6 billion in 
international medical and humanitarian aid efforts 
impacting over 80 countries since 1996. In 2014, 
Taiwan responded to the Ebola crisis by donating $1 
million and providing 100,000 sets of personal pro-
tective equipment. Through the Global Cooperation 
and Training Framework, the United States and 
Taiwan have jointly conducted training programs for 
experts to combat MERS, Dengue Fever, and Zika. 
These diseases know no borders, and Taiwan’s need-
less exclusion from global health cooperation in-
creases the dangers presented by global pandemics. 
(4) Taiwan’s international engagement has 
faced increased resistance from the PRC. Taiwan 
was not invited to the 2016 Assembly of the Inter-
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national Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), despite 
participating as a guest at the organization’s prior 
summit in 2013. Taiwan’s requests to participate in 
the General Assembly of the International Criminal 
Police Organization (INTERPOL) have also been 
rejected. In May 2017, PRC delegates disrupted a 
meeting of the Kimberley Process on conflict dia-
monds held in Perth, Australia, until delegates from 
Taiwan were asked to leave. Since 2016, the Demo-
cratic Republic of Sa˜o Tome´ and Prı´ncipe, the Re-
public of Panama, the Dominican Republic, Burkina 
Faso, and the Republic of El Salvador have termi-
nated longstanding diplomatic relationships with 
Taiwan and granted diplomatic recognition to the 
PRC. 
(5) Congress has established a policy of support 
for Taiwan’s participation in international bodies 
that address shared transnational challenges, par-
ticularly in the WHO. Congress passed H.R. 1794 
in the 106th Congress, H.R. 428 in the 107th Con-
gress, and S. 2092 in the 108th Congress to direct 
the Secretary of State to establish a strategy for, 
and to report annually to Congress on, efforts to ob-
tain observer status for Taiwan at the WHA. Con-
gress also passed H.R. 1151 in the 113th Congress, 
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directing the Secretary to report on a strategy to 
gain observer status for Taiwan at the ICAO Assem-
bly, and H.R. 1853 in the 114th Congress, directing 
the Secretary to report on a strategy to gain ob-
server status for Taiwan at the INTERPOL Assem-
bly. However, since 2016 Taiwan has not received 
an invitation to attend any of these events as an ob-
server. 
(b) AUGMENTATION OF REPORT CONCERNING THE 
PARTICIPATION OF TAIWAN IN THE WORLD HEALTH OR-
GANIZATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (c) of section 1 
of Public Law 108–235 (118 Stat. 656) is amended 
by adding at the end the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(3) An account of the changes and improve-
ments the Secretary of State has made to the 
United States plan to endorse and obtain observer 
status for Taiwan at the World Health Assembly, 
following any annual meetings of the World Health 
Assembly at which Taiwan did not obtain observer 
status.’’. 
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made 
by paragraph (1) shall take effect and apply begin-
ning with the first report required under subsection 
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(c) of section 1 of Public Law 108–235 that is sub-
mitted after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
Passed the House of Representatives January 22, 
2019. 
Attest: 
KAREN L. HAAS, 
Clerk. 
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