Taiwan should not give up on World Health Assembly bid: former health minister

Taiwan should not give up on World Health Assembly bid: former health minister

2024-05-17

With the opening of the WHO’s World Health Assembly in 10 days time, former health minister Chen Shih-chung said Taiwan shouldn’t give up on its bid to take part, despite failing to receive a formal invite owing to Chinese pressure. Chen, who will be a minister-without-portfolio in the new Cabinet, said that excluding Taiwan from the UN health body was the world’s loss. Chen was speaking at the 40th anniversary of the John Tung Foundation, a health NGO, where he also talked about kicking an over-50-year smoking habit and how he has stayed clean for over two years.

Present and past chairs of the John Tung Foundation take to the stage, celebrating the NGO’s 40th anniversary. They declared they would proactively fight against new kinds of tobacco products. Among them, the biggest poster child for quitting smoking was none other than former health minister Chen Shih-chung, who managed to kick a smoking habit of 52 years.

Chen Shih-chung
Former Minister of Health and Welfare
I reported to the chair that I still haven’t had a smoke. It’s been more than two years. I now find that when I sing, I can sing higher notes better because my lung capacity has improved. Once your body improves, you harbor greater ambitions, so now I’m doing weight training.

Chen stressed there are many benefits to quitting smoking. Turning to another health issue, the WHO has not issued an invitation for Taiwan to take part in the upcoming World Health Assembly. Chen, who has devoted himself to health issues for many years and has traveled to Geneva many times to advocate for Taiwan’s participation in the assembly, spoke up on Taiwan’s behalf.

Chen Shih-chung
Former Minister of Health and Welfare
We still haven’t received an invitation, but we should not give up hope and will continue to work hard. I think the WHA as a health body should not allow politics to intervene so deeply. We should at least receive an invitation to go to the WHA to share Taiwan’s experience with the world. Taiwan’s inability to participate in the WHO is actually the world’s loss. However, we will not lose hope and give up, because we want to contribute to the world and bring health to the world.

Chen’s strong message was that Taiwan in recent years has continued to make contributions to the world on public health and health issues. He called for the nation’s participation in the WHA so that Taiwan could become globally visible.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

"現在還沒絕望" 陳時中:台灣沒能參與WHA是世界損失

2024-05-17

前衛福部長、準行政院政委陳時中，週五出席董氏基金會40周年論壇活動，宣布成功戒菸2年多，現在甚至開始重訓。對於台灣尚未接到WHA世界衛生大會邀請，陳時中強調台灣沒能參與將是世界的損失，也喊話「現在還沒絕望」。

董氏基金會歷任董事長陸續上台，一同歡慶基金會40歲生日，也宣誓要積極迎戰新型菸品衝擊。其中最大咖戒菸代言人，莫過於戒了52年菸癮的前衛福部長陳時中。

[[前衛福部長陳時中]]
“跟董事長報告，現在還沒有抽啦，已經超過兩年了。我現在發覺我唱歌的話，高音唱得比較好，因為肺活量比較好，身體變好了以後，人的野心就變大，所以我現在在做重訓啦。”

陳時中強調戒菸好處多多，而世界衛生組織至今仍未邀請台灣，參加WHA世界衛生大會，多年投入健康議題，也多次前往日內瓦倡議台灣參與WHA的陳時中，也為台灣打氣加油。

[[前衛福部長陳時中]]
“現在還沒有(受邀)，應該是還沒有絕望，不過持續努力啦，我想WHA是一個健康的團體，不應該讓政治介入這麼深。我們理應最少要收到一個邀請，到WHA把台灣的經驗，跟世界分享，台灣沒有辦法參與WHA，事實上是一個世界的損失。不過我們也不失望也不絕望，因為我們是要奉獻世界，我們是要把健康帶入世界。”

陳時中喊話台灣這幾年，在公衛和健康議題上面持續對世界有所貢獻，呼籲參與WHA，再讓世界看見台灣。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週日至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

Related News

Taiwan Stock Exchange among best global performers during Tsai’s 8-year rule

2024-05-17

Outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen has her last working day at the Presidential Office

2024-05-17

President Tsai Ing-wen touts Taiwan’s CPTPP bid to visiting Canadian delegation

Ahead of president-elect Lai Ching-te’s inauguration ceremony on Monday, the government has unveiled the foreign guest list. A total of 51 delegations consisting of 508 foreign dignitaries will be attending the event. There will be eight heads of state hailing from Taiwan’s tiny band of formal diplomatic allies. The U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, Japan and South Korea are also sending representatives. As Canada is the rotating chair of the CPTPP commission this year, President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday told Canada’s visiting delegation that she hoped the North American nation would continue to use its influence to support Taiwan’s entry into the proposed global trade pact.

Tsai Ing-wen
President
I am very happy to meet Chair Sgro before leaving office, and I also welcome all of our good friends from Canada who have come to Taiwan.

Outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen warmly welcomed a Canadian parliamentary delegation and thanked the Canadian government for attaching importance and showing resolve to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait in recent years.

Tsai Ing-wen
President
Canada is serving as the rotating chair of the CPTPP this year. I also hope that our distinguished guests here can continue to exert their influence and support Taiwan’s application for membership. We can jointly strengthen the resilience of global supply chains and open up even more abundant business opportunities for each other.

Judy Sgro
Member of Canadian delegation
Fortunately I know what matters a lot to Taiwan is successful entry into the CPTPP and we will take that as a delegation back to the prime minister, to the minister, and will continue to press and talk and I would hope that this delegation will join me doing that work, and maybe we’ll all be invited back for the signing of the CPTPP.

This time around there’s been quite an enthusiastic turnout from foreign dignitaries congratulating the new government on taking office. Close to 73 delegations of almost 700 people have congratulated Lai and his new government, and 51 delegations consisting of 508 foreign visitors are coming in person to attend Lai’s inauguration ceremony on Monday. The U.S., Australia, Canada, the European Parliament, the U.K., Japan and South Korea have all sent delegations to attend, and there are eight heads of state attending coming from Taiwan’s 12 formal diplomatic allies.

They will witness with their own eyes Lai and vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim taking office.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2024-05-17

Culinary legacy of Detroit’s Chinatown lives on

The U.S. Midwestern city of Detroit once had a thriving Chinatown. But depopulation and urban decline have forced many Chinese American establishments in the city to close up shop. And while that historic neighborhood has disappeared, one culinary legacy is well remembered and remains a favorite among locals.

Chinese American Gary Mui opened his own restaurant in 2020 after working in kitchens most of his adult life.

During all that time, he’s been making a battered and fried chicken dish, topping it with soy sauce, oyster sauce and chicken stock gravy, served with white rice over a bed of lettuce and almond slivers.

Gary Mui
Restaurateur
Put it all together, it becomes, like, a magical flavor, where the lettuce soaks up the grease from the chicken and the rice blends well with it together.

Native Detroiters call it almond boneless chicken, or ABC. It’s not quite as common in other areas of the U.S., and many who have moved away dream of it.

Member of public
I know very well the only place you can get it is back home.

But the origins of war su gai, as it’s also known, are up for debate. The dish appears on restaurant menus from Detroit’s historic Chinatown dating back to the 1960s.

Curtis Chin wrote a book about growing up in his family’s restaurant. He has his own theory of why the dish took hold in a city with a large Black population.

Curtis Chin
Author
It might have been the adaptation of a traditional Chinese dish called almond pressed duck, which was duck, you know, breaded and fried. But then changed to accommodate a more Black palate, or people from the South, which had fried chicken, because it really is just a fried chicken dish with an Asian gravy.

Detroit’s Chinatown faded away by the early 2000s, but the area may be due for a revival. The Peterboro restaurant opened in 2016 on a site that once housed a Chinese grocery. Almond boneless chicken is one of its bestsellers.

Martin Van Alm
Restaurateur
And I think it is absolutely a nod to the area, to Chinatown.

Chin thinks ABC is so good, it’s destined to move beyond its point of origin.

Curtis Chin
Author
I don’t see any reason why almond boneless chicken can’t be a national craze. I mean, it’s basically fried chicken with gravy. Who doesn’t love that?

A Detroit signature food that might no longer be kept under local wraps.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2024-05-17

Restaurant’s secret to succulent chicken is frying whole

2024-05-17

Stunning sunset expected in Miaoli as sun aligns with road at popular photography site

2024-05-17

Ukrainian civil defense experts offer insights in Taiwan

The Kuma Academy, which provides civilians with civil defense training, hosted several defense experts from Ukraine on Friday, who shared their insights with participants. One expert said the best approach to self-defense was to be prepared for the worst. Another said that it was important for the general public to not ignore the fact that a Chinese invasion is a real possibility.

The Russia-Ukraine War has stretched for more than two years now, but even then, Ukraine’s government and its people have continued to resist Russia. More than 8,000 kilometers away, Taiwan is trying to raise awareness about civil defense. To that goal, the Kuma Academy gathered three Ukrainians to talk about their first-hand experiences.

Marriia Makarovych
Liberal Democratic League of Ukraine
In Taiwan I can see frequently when people deny the thoughts that a potential invasion can happen, and the fact that this threat is real. Because in Ukraine we have the same experience. It was like one week before full-scale invasion.

Yurii Poita
Center for Army Conversion and Disarmament Studies
It’s better to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. This is one of the mistakes that Ukraine did. We did many things but also many things we didn’t do. We didn’t believe in the full-scale war to the extent that they should be prepared.

The speakers said more people should be trained in Taiwan, adding that technological advances had brought changes to warfare. They urged the military to break away from traditional and conservative thinking and cooperate more deeply with civilians while being wary of unconventional forms of warfare employed by powerful nations.

Dmytro Burtsev
NCCU College of International Affairs
Russian Federation has chosen the best moment. The ratings of the Ukrainian president in government was really low. They hoped that their hybrid warfare was successful to control Ukraine very fast and without big efforts.

Chu Fu-ming
Kuma Academy
The incoming government under Lai Ching-te has put a lot of emphasis on this front. Today’s event was co-organized with the National Police Agency. Finding ways to form links between government agencies and the public is very important.

The Ukrainain civil defense experts said that countries around the world would be willing to help Taiwan in a time of need as long as they see its commitment to self defense.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2024-05-17

Retirees learn to make traditional floral hairpins

In Yulin county, a local hairpin maker, Wu Ssu-han, used to have a very different job doing animal husbandry and manufacturing. But after retiring many years ago for her health, she learned a new skill through a government retraining program. She now teaches in her community in Yunlin’s Dounan Township, helping her students take a walk down memory lane by making traditional hairpins.

These hairpins are a classic Taiwanese handicraft, at one time essential for every new bride. They used to come with all kinds of decorative flourishes, requiring attention to detail and patience to make. But as times have changed, the tradition has waned.

Wu Ssu-han lives in the Hsinlun community of Yunlin’s Dounan Township. She used to work in husbandry and manufacturing, but had to retire from the burden it placed on her health. But she’s still skilled with her hands, and eight years ago got the chance to learn a new skill through a Ministry of Labor program.

Wu Ssu-han
Hairpin crafting teacher
When I started out, I didn’t know what they were. Favorlang River Community College was accepting students in their hairpin crafting program. I figured since I know so little about it, I want to give it a try, so I signed up. That was already seven or eight years ago.

Wu regularly holds classes teaching elderly residents how to make hairpins and other crafts using the technique. In the process, it helps them reminisce about art from their youth.

Wu Ssu-han
Hairpin crafting teacher
The flower that brides used to wear in their hair was sometimes made of cloth or plastic, so they didn’t know it could be so beautiful with wire and paper. So I wanted to share this with my older neighbors.

The Hsinlun Community Development Association organizes activities to help elderly participants stay active and healthy.

Chen Ching-chuan
Community association chair
We have some classes geared toward delaying the onset of dementia. Sometimes people come in with shaking hands, but after a while it improves.

Although she’s retired, Wu hasn’t slowed down. She has never stopped seeking meaning in life and living to the fullest.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2024-05-17

Gym offers customizable low-calorie meals for clients

2024-05-17

Plum rain front to deliver rains to Taiwan over next few days

2024-05-17