Andy Ogles，the U.S. representative who proposed to support Taiwan’s full participation in the WHO amendment
The United States House of Representatives “China Week” ended on the 12th, and in the past four days, a number of bills involving China or Taiwan have been passed in succession, including using financial tools to deter Beijing from committing Taiwan violations, supporting Taiwan’s full participation in the World Health Organization (WHO), and strengthening cooperation with Taiwan and South Pacific island countries.
On the 11th Sept. , the House of Representatives passed the bill not to sign the World Health Organization’s epidemic prevention treaty without the approval of the Senate.
The pro-bill Rep. Andy Ogles, was dissatisfied with the WHO’s ignorance of Taiwan’s early warning of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) epidemic. On the 11th, he proposed to support Taiwan’s full participation in the WHO amendment, which was passed.
Ogz said China had succeeded in exerting pressure on the outside world, and when Taiwan warned the WHO in 2019 about the possibility of human-to-human transmission of the virus, no one listened. When Taiwan experts traveled to Wuhan in early 2020 and found signs of human-to-human transmission of the virus, no one cared. At the same time, the WHO claims that there is no clear evidence that COVID-19 can be transmitted from person to person.
He pointed out that this was because Communist China told the world that Taiwan should not have a place in the WHO under any circumstances. “We can only guess how many lives the United States has lost as a result, we don’t know the exact number.” For decades, United States foreign policy has consistently prioritized pacifying the CCP over protecting the security of the United States people. This must change.
Gregory Meeks, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has reservations about supporting Taiwan’s full participation in the WHO, believing that Congress should be precise and cautious when discussing important policies.
He said the amendment is consistent with the spirit of current United States policy to support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the World Health Assembly (WHA). However, supporting Taiwan’s full membership in the WHO is at odds with United States policy would undermine United States’ long-standing one-China policy.
However, Meeks reiterated his support for Taiwan to have official observer status at the WHO and called on colleagues to support the amendment.
美國眾議院的「中國週」於12日結束，這四天內連續通過了多項與中國或台灣相關的法案，包括利用金融手段威懾北京對台的侵略行為、支持台灣全面參與世界衛生組織(WHO)，以及加強台灣與南太平洋島國的合作。
美國眾議院於11日通過了一項法案，規定在未經參議院批准的情況下不得簽署世界衛生組織的疫情防範條約。支持該法案的議員奧格茲（Andy Ogles）對世衛忽視台灣早期對COVID-19疫情的警示表示不滿，因此他在同一天提出了一項修正案，呼籲支持台灣全面參與世衛，並成功獲得通過。
奧格茲在眾議院表示，美國長期以來一直容許北京主導外交政策的走向，以及在聯合國等主要國際組織中的議程和會員資格。這種數十年的讓步導致台灣的盟友數量不斷減少，目前僅剩12個。
奧格茲指出，中國成功施加外部壓力，當台灣在2019年向世界衛生組織警告可能出現人傳人的病毒時，卻沒有人重視。台灣專家在2020年初前往武漢，發現病毒有可能人傳人時，依然未受到關注。與此同時，世衛卻聲稱沒有明確證據顯示COVID-19會人傳人。
他強調，這一切都是因為共產中國告訴世界，台灣無論如何都不應在世衛中佔有一席之地。「我們只能推測美國因此失去了多少生命，卻無法得知具體數字」。數十年來，美國的外交政策持續將安撫中共置於保護美國人民安全之上，這一情況必須改變。
眾議院外委會的民主黨首席議員米克斯則對支持台灣全面參與世衛持保留態度，認為國會在討論重要政策時應該謹慎而精確。
他表示，這項修正案與當前美國政策的精神一致，即支持台灣有意義地參與世界衛生大會（WHA）。然而，支持台灣在世衛組織中獲得正式會員資格與美國的政策不符，並可能削弱美國長期以來的一中政策。
儘管如此，米克斯重申，支持台灣在世衛擁有正式觀察員地位是必要的，並呼籲同僚支持這項修正案。
