Nancy Pelosi: “I rise in support of H.R. 428, which states that Taiwan should have appropriate and meaningful participation in the…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 428, which states that Taiwan should have appropriate and meaningful participation in the World Health Organization (WHO). The legislation also requires the State Department to initiate a U.S. plan to endorse and obtain observer status for Taiwan at the annual summit of the World Health Assembly in May 2001 in Geneva. In particular, I would like to commend Representative Sherrod Brown for his leadership on this issue. In the 1994 Taiwan Policy Review Act, the U.S. declared its intention to support Taiwan's participation in international organizations. We should abide by our intentions and support Taiwan's participation at the WHO. The WHO is an organization dedicated to preventing the spread of disease and coordinating efforts on international health work. In a time when resources to fight global infectious diseases are scarce, we should encourage assistance and coordination from all sources. The global efforts to save lives should not take a back seat to China's global campaign against Taiwan. Taiwan should be able to benefit from and contribute to the work of the WHO. As an official observer, Taiwan would assist in preventing the spread of global diseases. Taiwan's achievements in health are substantial, including high life expectancy levels and low maternal and infant mortality rates compared to other developed countries.”