國民黨：蔡政府應務實面對參與WHA和RCEP的困難及挑戰
世界衛生大會（WHA）於本週一（11月9日）開議，討論對新冠疫情的全球防疫措施。令人感到無奈與氣憤的是，中華民國政府再次地被拒於門外，無法取得觀察員地位，甚至連邀請我方政府出席的議案亦未出現在世衛大會的議程中。
中國國民黨指出，世衛組織（WHO）多數會員國的「政治決定」，不只置臺灣兩千三百萬人民於危險，也阻擋了我國與世界分享防疫經驗的機會。正如世衛大會的國際衛生條例第三條所述，「本條例的執行應以其廣泛適用以保護世界上所有人民不受疾病國際傳播之害的目標為指導」，國民黨呼籲世衛組織及其成員政府應遵照上開條例行事，實踐普世適用的最高原則。
國民黨強調，世衛組織不宜遷就中共片面說法與主張，應以維護全球人類的整體健康權為行動圭臬，世衛組織屢次排除我方參與的決定，只會讓臺灣人民對於中共當局更加反感，更難促成一個穩定且具建設性的兩岸關係。
國民黨也強調，過去執政時期得以有意義參與世衛大會，顯然與兩岸之間存在政治對話基礎以及基本政治互信有關，而民進黨於2016年5月執政後，也隨即派團參與世衛大會，表示蔡英文總統知道箇中緣故，希望蔡英文總統正視此一事實與未來的可行性，務實處理我國國際參與，不要讓國際空間愈來愈窄。
此外，國民黨表示，雖然參與世衛組織之路暫行不通，但蔡政府應避免專注於對內宣傳，而應對外投資更多的時間與精力，以符合國際政治與商業常規的方式，設法盡快為臺灣人民取得新冠疫苗。
另外，中華民國長期以來被排除在由東協十國與日本、南韓、中國大陸、紐西蘭、澳洲所組成《區域全面經濟夥伴協定》（RCEP）之外，國民黨指出，前述協定極可能將在本月十五號簽訂，蔡總統及其國安、經貿團隊必須面對現實，誠實以對，不能僅以參加無法律拘束力、較鬆散的亞太經濟合作組織（APEC）為滿足；同時，蔡總統必須向國民交代無法參加前述協定所引起的各項衝擊，以及可行的替代方案與實現時程，以發展一個多邊且實際有益的經貿合作網絡。
Tsai Administration Should Approach the Question of Participation in the WHA and RCEP in a Practical Manner
The World Health Assembly (WHA) reconvened on Monday (11/9) for a virtual meeting to discuss the global response to the coronavirus pandemic. Much to our chagrin, the Republic of China (Taiwan) was, once again, not granted observer status, nor was the topic of its invitation included in the WHA meeting agenda.
The Kuomintang (KMT) regrets the World Health Organization’s (WHO) ongoing decision to place politics over human lives. Not only does this undermine the health of more than 23 million Taiwanese, our government has also been hindered from sharing our expertise in containing the pandemic, which would be immensely beneficial to the world. As outlined by Article 3 of the WHO’s International Health Regulations, “the implementation of these Regulations shall be guided by the goal of their universal application for the protection of all people of the world from the international spread of disease.” We urge the WHO to follow their own regulations to the highest principle during a time the world is reeling from a virus that knows no national borders. It is a fundamental right for the people of Taiwan to be protected by the universal statutes set forth by the WHO.
The WHO has consistently decided to toe the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) line. The KMT urges the WHO to instead focus on protecting the universal health rights of our global community. The WHO’s unrelenting exclusionary measures have caused the people of Taiwan to be more indignant towards the CCP, making it increasingly challenging to maintain stable and constructive cross-Strait relations.
Cross-Strait relations during prior KMT administrations were contingent upon dialogue and trust – it is no coincidence that the ROC government also participated in the WHA during those years. The KMT urges the current Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration to advocate for Taiwan’s participation in international organizations in a similarly pragmatic manner, so that our international space does not continue to shrink. The fact that Taiwan sent a delegation to the WHA after the DPP government came into power in 2016 means that President Tsai should understand its feasibility.
Our current inability to participate in the WHA should not stop the Tsai government from expending time and energy in obtaining a vaccine for our people. Rather than focusing her attention on internal politics, President Tsai should shift her focus towards procuring a vaccine with the highest international politics and business standards.
Furthermore, Taiwan has also been marginalized by the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a multilateral free trade agreement among Japan, South Korea, Mainland China, New Zealand, Australia, and ASEAN nations, likely to commence on November 15th. The KMT urges the DPP administration to face the situation head on, and aim for more than the existing, non-legally binding Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) agreement. At the same time, President Tsai must be transparent with our citizens about the various challenges our nation continues to face on the international stage and develop practical alternatives by advocating for more robust multilateral economic agreements.
