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.

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. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. PARTICIPATION OF TAIWAN IN THE WORLD 3 HEALTH ORGANIZATION. 4 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find- 5 ings: 6 (1) The World Health Organization (WHO) is 7 a specialized agency of the United Nations, charged 8 with coordinating health efforts within the United 9 Nations system. The World Health Assembly 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:10 Jan 16, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H237.IH H237 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 237 IH (WHA) is the decision-making body of the WHO, 1 which convenes annually in May to set the policies 2 and priorities of the organization. Statehood is not 3 a requirement for attendance at the WHA, and nu- 4 merous observers, including non-members and non- 5 governmental organizations, attended the most re- 6 cent WHA in May 2017. 7 (2) Taiwan began seeking to participate in the 8 WHO as an observer in 1997. In 2009, with strong 9 support from successive United States Administra- 10 tions, Congress, and like-minded WHO Member 11 States, and during a period of improved Cross-Strait 12 relations, Taiwan received an invitation to attend 13 the WHA as an observer under the name ‘‘Chinese 14 Taipei’’. Taiwan received the same invitation each 15 year until 2016, when following the election of Presi- 16 dent Tsai-Ing Wen of the Democratic Progressive 17 Party, Taiwan’s engagement in the international 18 community began facing increased resistance from 19 the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Taiwan’s in- 20 vitation to the 2016 WHA was received late and in- 21 cluded new language conditioning Taiwan’s partici- 22 pation on the PRC’s ‘‘one China principle’’. In 2017, 23 Taiwan did not receive an invitation to the WHA. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:10 Jan 16, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H237.IH H237 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 237 IH (3) Taiwan remains a model contributor to 1 world health, having provided financial and technical 2 assistance to respond to numerous global health 3 challenges. Taiwan has invested over $6 billion in 4 international medical and humanitarian aid efforts 5 impacting over 80 countries since 1996. In 2014, 6 Taiwan responded to the Ebola crisis by donating $1 7 million and providing 100,000 sets of personal pro- 8 tective equipment. Through the Global Cooperation 9 and Training Framework, the United States and 10 Taiwan have jointly conducted training programs for 11 experts to combat MERS, Dengue Fever, and Zika. 12 These diseases know no borders, and Taiwan’s need- 13 less exclusion from global health cooperation in- 14 creases the dangers presented by global pandemics. 15 (4) Taiwan’s international engagement has 16 faced increased resistance from the PRC. Taiwan 17 was not invited to the 2016 Assembly of the Inter- 18 national Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), despite 19 participating as a guest at the organization’s prior 20 summit in 2013. Taiwan’s request to participate in 21 the 2016 General Assembly of the International 22 Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) was also 23 rejected. In May 2017, PRC delegates disrupted a 24 meeting of the Kimberley Process on conflict dia- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:10 Jan 16, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H237.IH H237 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 237 IH monds held in Perth, Australia, until delegates from 1 Taiwan were asked to leave. In June 2017, the Re- 2 public of Panama granted diplomatic recognition to 3 the PRC, terminating a longstanding diplomatic re- 4 lationship with Taiwan. 5 (5) Congress has established a policy of support 6 for Taiwan’s participation in international bodies 7 that address shared transnational challenges, par- 8 ticularly in the WHO. Congress passed H.R. 1794 9 in the 106th Congress, H.R. 428 in the 107th Con- 10 gress, and S. 2092 in the 108th Congress to direct 11 the Secretary of State to establish a strategy for, 12 and to report annually to Congress on, efforts to ob- 13 tain observer status for Taiwan at the WHA. Con- 14 gress also passed H.R. 1151 in the 113th Congress, 15 directing the Secretary to report on a strategy to 16 gain observer status for Taiwan at the ICAO Assem- 17 bly, and H.R. 1853 in the 114th Congress, directing 18 the Secretary to report on a strategy to gain ob- 19 server status for Taiwan at the INTERPOL Assem- 20 bly. However, in 2016 Taiwan did not receive invita- 21 tions to attend any of these events as an observer. 22 (b) AUGMENTATION OF REPORT CONCERNING THE 23 PARTICIPATION OF TAIWAN IN THE WORLD HEALTH OR- 24 GANIZATION.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:10 Jan 16, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H237.IH H237 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 237 IH (1) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (c) of section 1 1 of Public Law 108–235 (118 Stat. 656) is amended 2 by adding at the end the following new paragraph: 3 ‘‘(3) An account of the changes and improve- 4 ments the Secretary of State has made to the 5 United States plan to endorse and obtain observer 6 status for Taiwan at the World Health Assembly, 7 following any annual meetings of the World Health 8 Assembly at which Taiwan did not obtain observer 9 status.’’. 10 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made 11 by paragraph (1) shall take effect and apply begin- 12 ning with the first report required under subsection 13 (c) of section 1 of Public Law 108–235 that is sub- 14 mitted after the date of the enactment of this Act. 15 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:10 Jan 16, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H237.IH H237 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS