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| AIT对于台湾无法参与WHA发出声明。（取自AIT网站） |
中评社台北5月19日电（记者 黄筱筠）对于台湾无法获邀参与世界卫生大会（WHA），美国在台协会（AIT）今天也以美国国务卿蓬佩奥为名发布新闻稿指出，台湾被排除在世界卫生大会之外，美国予以强烈谴责。当世界正戮力对抗新冠疫情的同时，我们需要多边机构履行其既定使命，并为所有会员国的利益服务，而不是在生命危在旦夕之际，仍在操弄政治。
新闻稿指出，尽管毗邻疫情发源地中国武汉，台湾的防疫成效至今仍是全球佼佼者，这点无庸置疑也不令人意外。像台湾这样透明、充满活力且创新的民主体制，对流行病的反应总是比专制政权更快、更有效。
声明表示，世界卫生组织秘书长谭德塞有法律授权，也可循先例，将台湾纳入世界卫生大会的各项会议及活动。然而谭德塞却屈服于中国的压力，选择不邀请台湾参加。秘书长谭德塞缺乏中立，剥夺了世界卫生大会向台湾听取防疫专业科学知识的机会，更在世界最需要世卫之际进一步损害了世界卫生组织的公信力及效能。
AIT表示，中国噤声台湾的恶意行径，暴露中国宣称希望透过资讯透明及国际合作来抗疫的主张实为空话，也使中国与台湾之间的差异更加显着。台湾是世界模范公民，而中国则持续不愿交出新冠病毒及其发源地的重要资讯，拒绝国际社会访视中国科学家及相关设施，在中国境内及中国社群媒体上审查对疫情的讨论，并大肆怪罪外人。
英文声明全文如下：
Taiwan’s Exclusion From the World Health Assembly
The United States condemns Taiwan’s exclusion from the World Health Assembly. At a time when the world continues to struggle with the COVID－19 pandemic， we need multilateral institutions to deliver on their stated missions and to serve the interests of all member states， not to play politics while lives are at stake.
No one disputes that Taiwan has mounted one of the world’s most successful efforts to contain the pandemic to date， despite its close proximity to the original outbreak in Wuhan， China. This should not be a surprise. Transparent， vibrant， and innovative democracies like Taiwan always respond faster and more effectively to pandemics than do authoritarian regimes.
WHO’s Director－General Tedros had every legal power and precedent to include Taiwan in WHA’s proceedings. Yet， he instead chose not to invite Taiwan under pressure from the People’s Republic of China （PRC）. The Director－General’s lack of independence deprives the Assembly of Taiwan’s renowned scientific expertise on pandemic disease， and further damages the WHO’s credibility and effectiveness at a time when the world needs it the most.
The PRC’s spiteful action to silence Taiwan exposes the emptiness of its claims to want transparency and international cooperation to fight the pandemic， and makes the difference between China and Taiwan ever more stark. Taiwan is a model world citizen， while the PRC continues to withhold vital information about the virus and its origins， deny access to their scientists and relevant facilities， censor discussion of the pandemic within China and on Chinese social media properties， and casts blame widely and recklessly. |
