[Pages H59-H62]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

DIRECTING THE SECRETARY OF STATE TO DEVELOP A STRATEGY TO REGAIN
OBSERVER STATUS FOR TAIWAN IN THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 3320) 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.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:

H.R. 3320

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

SECTION 1. PARTICIPATION OF TAIWAN IN THE WORLD HEALTH
ORGANIZATION.

(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(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 numerous
observers, including non-members and non-governmental
organizations, attended the most recent WHA in May 2017.
(2) Taiwan began seeking to participate in the WHO as an
observer in 1997. In 2009, with strong support from
successive United States Administrations, 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 President Tsai-Ing Wen
of the Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan's engagement in
the international community began facing increased resistance
from the People's Republic of China (PRC). Taiwan's
invitation to the 2016 WHA was received late and included new
language conditioning Taiwan's participation on the PRC's
``one China principle''. In 2017, 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 protective 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 needless
exclusion from global health cooperation increases 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 International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO), despite participating as a guest at the
organization's prior summit in 2013. Taiwan's request to
participate in the 2016 General Assembly of the International
Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) was also rejected. In
May 2017, PRC delegates disrupted a meeting of the Kimberley
Process on conflict diamonds held in Perth, Australia, until
delegates from Taiwan were asked to leave. In June 2017, the
Republic of Panama granted diplomatic recognition to the PRC,
terminating a longstanding diplomatic relationship with
Taiwan.
(5) Congress has established a policy of support for
Taiwan's participation in international bodies that address
shared transnational challenges, particularly in the WHO.
Congress passed H.R. 1794 in the 106th Congress, H.R. 428 in
the 107th Congress, 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 obtain
observer status for Taiwan at the WHA. Congress also passed
H.R. 1151 in the 113th Congress, directing the Secretary to
report on a strategy to gain observer status for Taiwan at
the ICAO Assembly, and H.R. 1853 in the 114th Congress,
directing the Secretary to report on a strategy to gain
observer status for Taiwan at the INTERPOL Assembly. However,
in 2016 Taiwan did not receive invitations to attend any of
these events as an observer.
(b) Augmentation of Report Concerning the Participation of
Taiwan in the World Health Organization.--
(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:

[[Page H60]]

``(3) An account of the changes and improvements 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 beginning with the first report
required under subsection (c) of section 1 of Public Law 108-
235 that is submitted after the date of the enactment of this
Act.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce).

General Leave

Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their
remarks and to include extraneous material.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Yoho), the author of this
important bill which counters the harmful and unacceptable efforts
being made to undermine Taiwan's inclusion at the World Health
Organization.
Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman, Mr. Royce, for offering
this bill, or the opportunity to offer this bill. I would also like to
say I, too, support H.R. 535, the Taiwan Travel Act.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3320, a bill that directs the
Secretary of State to develop a strategy to regain observer status for
Taiwan in the World Health Organization. I would like to give
particular thanks to Chairman Royce, Ranking Member Engel, and Ranking
Member Sherman for supporting this bill and working with me to advance
it through the committee process.
Mr. Speaker, over the last few years, the People's Republic of China
has stepped up its campaign to marginalize Taiwan. Last year, Beijing
poached one of Taiwan's few remaining diplomatic partners, the Republic
of Panama. Beijing also successfully blocked Taiwan from participating
in a number of international organizations, including the World Health
Organization.
Taiwan's exclusion from the World Health Organization's annual
summit, the World Health Assembly, serves no purpose other than to
placate Beijing. The WHO exists to address shared transnational health
challenges, and Taiwan has proven, time and time again, that it is a
model contributor to world health.
Since 1996, Taiwan has invested over $6 billion in international
medical and humanitarian aid efforts impacting over 80 countries. It
has made significant financial contributions to The Global Fund to
Fight AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis. And as this bill finds, in 2014,
Taiwan responded to the Ebola crisis by donating $1 million and
providing over 100,000 sets of personal protective equipment.
Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 3320. Clearly, Taiwan should be a full
member of the World Health Organization. All nations should be full
members of the World Health Organization, especially one with an
advanced health system that can help us stop pandemics from spreading
from one country to another. That is why it makes sense for us to
advocate Taiwanese participation in all international bodies, but
particularly the U.N.'s World Health Organization.
I am pleased to cosponsor this legislation that is critical to
preparing to prevent pandemics. Look at the nonsense that is being
foisted on the world by Beijing. For political reasons, in an effort to
say that Taiwan doesn't exist except as a province, they are
endangering the health of the world because pathogens have not been
told that they are not to go to Taiwan. The epidemics have not been
told to spare humankind from the inefficiencies and glaring omissions
that occur when an important country is excluded from the World Health
Organization.
Taiwan's exclusion, even from observer status, from the World Health
Organization is a terrible symbol, an attempt to deny self-
determination to 23 million people. But it is worse than a terrible
symbol. It is a practical impediment to stopping epidemics. It is a
practical impediment to world health, and it is time for the United
States to have a strategy to reach out to the world and say Taiwan
needs to be part of health planning. Taiwan needs to be part of the
lifesaving initiatives of the World Health Organization.
So I look forward to working with our colleagues to pass this
legislation and working with the State Department to implement it. I
look forward to the day when we do not put the world at risk of an
epidemic that could have been contained but for the malicious symbolism
being foisted on us by Beijing.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Yoho), our chairman of the
Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.
Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman again for yielding more
time. I also recognize Congressmen Chabot and Connolly for being
cosponsors of this bill.
While Taiwan's contributions to global health deserves praise, its
isolation from international organizations and exclusion from the WHO
has proven dangerous, if not hazardous. During the 2002-2003 outbreak
of SARS, official WHO notifications and technical assistance were
either blocked or delayed, all while patients in Taiwan died and the
virus continued to spread. These diseases know no boundaries and, with
extensive transit and trade links, Taiwan's participation at the WHO is
essential.
Congress has long supported Taiwan's participation in international
organizations that do not require statehood, and this legislation will
continue this important work. My bill will ensure that the U.S.
diplomatic strategy to advocate for Taiwan's presence at the WHA, the
World Health Assembly, adapts to Beijing's increased efforts to box out
Taiwan.
Mr. Speaker, Taiwan is a benevolent actor on the international stage.
It deserves to keep that place it has earned. The next World Health
Assembly meeting will take place in May of this year. Passage of my
bill will be a timely opportunity for the House to recommit to
longstanding U.S. policies and to take a firm stand in the face of
Beijing's increasingly oppressive tactics.
I urge my colleagues to support Taiwan's participation in the WHO as
an observer by supporting this legislation. Again, I thank Chairman
Royce for the opportunity.
Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, it was 20 years ago that we here in Congress spoke with
one voice. We passed a law to support Taiwan's inclusion in the World
Health Organization. It took a decade of advocacy; it took pressure
before Taiwan was finally invited to participate in that assembly for
the first time in 2009. So you can imagine it is with great
disappointment that we learned that Taiwan was excluded from the
meetings last year for the first time after 8 years of consecutive
participation in Geneva.
Mr. Speaker, Taiwan's participation at the World Health Organization
is a matter of public health, as our friend, Mr. Sherman, and as the
chairman of the Asia and the Pacific Subcommittee, Mr. Yoho, have both
reminded us. This is a matter of public health.
Taiwan has contributed greatly, so greatly to the international
efforts to prevent epidemics. It has provided critical humanitarian aid
and medical training around the world; financial assistance, investing
$6 billion in international medical and humanitarian aid efforts since
1996, all over this globe, 80 countries.
During the 2014 Ebola crisis, it was Taiwan that was there, providing
also 100,000 sets of protective gear for health workers. Through the
global cooperation and training framework, the U.S. and Taiwan have
jointly conducted training programs for experts to combat diseases from
Dengue fever to Zika.
Mr. Speaker, yes, as Mr. Yoho reminded us, and Mr. Sherman, we know

[[Page H61]]

from this experience that infectious diseases know no borders. They so
quickly spread, and the global health community does not benefit when
Taiwan is kept in the dark on these critical matters. We are all safer
when Taiwan has meaningful, unobstructed participation in international
health cooperation forums.
All of us recall that Taiwan had an awful experience during the SARS
epidemic that was 15 years ago when the World Health Organization
directed Taiwan officials not to approach them, but to approach Beijing
for information-sharing instead.
It is clear that Taiwan's exclusion from last year's World Health
Assembly will only hurt. The health and safety of the people of Taiwan
should not be needlessly held hostage by politics, and world health
should not be put at risk. Taiwanese doctors have so much to offer,
given their experience providing this humanitarian assistance around
this world.
Last fall, I met with the Director-General of the World Health
Organization.

{time} 1545

I pressed him for Taiwan's participation. Unfortunately, this meeting
did not relieve my concerns about Taiwan's future outlook. And it is
for this reason, Mr. Speaker, that it is all the more important that
the U.S. use all of its diplomatic leverage to support Taiwan's efforts
to regain observer status to the WHO.
I applaud the administration for sending our Health Secretary to meet
with the delegation Taiwan sent to Geneva for bilateral meetings on the
sidelines of the assembly meeting last year, and I think, by doing so,
the U.S. demonstrated leadership by putting international cooperation
ahead of politics. Passage of this bill demonstrates our support for
Taiwan's inclusion.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this
measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), chairman emeritus of the
Foreign Affairs Committee.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank our esteemed chairman for this
time, and I want to thank my Florida colleague, Ted Yoho, the chairman
of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, for offering this
important bill as well as for his constant friendship and assistance to
our strong and indispensable ally, Taiwan.
His bill, H.R. 3320, directing the Secretary of State to develop a
strategy for increasing Taiwan's participation at the World Health
Organization, is an important first step, an important piece of our
foreign policy toward our ally, Taiwan.
Congress has, for years, been pushing for Taiwan to have greater
access, to have equal representation at so many institutions.
Unfortunately, as with so many other international organizations,
Taiwan's lack of observer status at the World Health Organization, or
WHO, is caused by an orchestrated and dangerous campaign by China to
constrain Taiwan's participation in global affairs.
In the case of the WHO, China is depriving the international
community from access to a wealth of Taiwan's high-level healthcare
information. Due to its superb talent, due to its data collection, due
to its quarantine and treatment facilities, Taiwan has excellent
infectious disease control capabilities. Fourteen years ago, Taiwan's
cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control was crucial in
stemming the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome, known as
SARS.
Before the last World Health assembly in May, I wrote a letter to the
Department of Health and Human Services urging greater efforts to
ensure that Taiwan received an invitation to the summit. The Secretary
agreed with me, writing that Taiwan is an indispensable member of the
global health society and is a ``strong health partner that
demonstrated the value of its expertise and contributions to health
issues of global concern.''
Unsurprisingly, however, Mr. Speaker, China once again put its
dangerous and shortsighted policies first, using its influence with
World Health Organization member states to deny Taiwan an invitation to
the assembly.
We cannot continue allowing China to threaten global efforts to
mitigate infectious disease, and, more importantly, Mr. Speaker, we
cannot continue to allow China to bully Taiwan or to have a veto over
our own foreign policy decisions. It is time to develop new ideas and
new strategies so that we can put a stop to China's bullying and ensure
that Taiwan gains observer status at the WHO and everywhere else.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for this important measure,
and, as always, I thank our esteemed chairman for the time.
Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
This legislation has support from just about everyone, bipartisan. It
is obviously necessary for Taiwan to be part of the World Health
Organization. To exclude it is to put the health of anyone who might be
affected by a pandemic, to put that interest below Beijing's interest
in strangling Taiwan diplomatically and economically.
I urge the adoption of this legislation, and I look forward to
working with the State Department until we achieve our objective, which
is, at a minimum, Taiwan's return to observer status at the World
Health Organization.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
In closing, I would like to share with the body that I led a
delegation to Taipei this last summer, and I was there when Taiwan
pledged to donate $800,000 in disaster relief to Houston. That was in
the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. It is generous actions like this
that I can think of, 80 occasions, that remind us again and again that
Taiwan is a positive actor in the international community, and that is
why we must continue to support Taiwan's international standing and
well-being.
So I would like to say in closing that I thank my colleagues for
being original cosponsors on this bill. In addition to Mr. Yoho and
myself, I want to thank Mr. Engel. And I want to thank Mr. Sherman. I
want to thank the gentleman for his leadership on this issue, and Mr.
Connolly as well.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of two
critical pieces of legislation, H.R. 535 and H.R. 3320. These bills are
important to U.S. national security because the spread of pandemics do
not respect borders. These bills are also important because they will
enhance the position of Taiwan, a true and vibrant democracy, with
which we have had longstanding ties.
I commend my good friend and colleague, Mr. Steve Chabot, for
introducing the Taiwan Travel Act. Currently, the President of Taiwan,
Vice President, Premier, Defense Minister and Foreign Minister of
Taiwan are not allowed to come to Washington, D.C. for consultations.
These are U.S. self-imposed restrictions that are practiced due to fear
of potential Chinese diplomatic retaliation. Restricting high-level
visits by senior Taiwanese officials is both insulting and
counterproductive. This policy should be changed.
Mr. Speaker, China will never be happy with U.S.-Taiwan policy or the
Taiwan Relations Act. Communist China will never be placated by our
self-imposed restrictions on travel and consultations. We should not
try.
Mr. Speaker, I also stand today in support of H.R. 3320, introduced
by my good friend and chairman of the subcommittee on Asia and the
Pacific, Mr. Ted Yoho.
H.R. 3320 would designate that the Secretary of State devise a plan
to include Taiwan in the World Health Organization. Taiwan has been
excluded from participating in the WHO due to Chinese pressure, and
sadly, the international community has acquiesced.
We here in Congress have been advocating for many years that the U.S.
should take action to ensure Taiwan's meaningful participation in the
WHO. As a major transport and shipping hub in the Asia Pacific region,
with enormous volumes of people and goods passing through on a daily
basis, Taiwan's exclusion creates a dangerous gap in the global health
and safety information network.
Mr. Speaker, the full participation of Taiwan in the WHO and other
multilateral bodies cannot be overstated as a U.S. national security
interest.
China's efforts to exclude Taiwan from international bodies like WHO
creates needless blind spots in the international system where
terrorism and disease can spread undetected.
Mr. Speaker, Taiwan must join the WHO as a full member. Regaining
observer status is

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only a first step. Full WHO membership for Taiwan is not only in the
interest of Taiwan, it is in the interest of the rest of the world.
I urge my colleagues to pass these critical measures to strengthen
the bond between the U.S. and our democratic ally, Taiwan.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 3320.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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