Utah House urges U.S. support for Taiwan at director general’s visit

The Utah House unanimously passed Senate Joint Resolution 5 on Feb. 18, urging the U.S. president to support Taiwan’s participation in specialized agencies of the United Nations. The vote was 69–0, and the resolution was returned to the Senate for signature.

Representative Rebecca Lockhart moved consideration of SJR5 under suspension of the House’s 24-hour rule so the resolution could be debated and voted on the same day. The resolution, sponsored in the Senate as SJR5 and carried in the House by Representative Lockhart, expresses the legislature’s position supporting Taiwan’s access to international health and other technical programs.

The House resolved into the Committee of the Whole to hear Thomas Chen, Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco. In remarks to legislators, Chen urged inclusion of Taiwan in World Health Organization activities and said the island’s exclusion hinders global public-health cooperation. “Taiwan has been trying to become an observer in the World Health Organization ever since 1997,” he said, noting China’s objections and arguing Taiwan’s public-health participation would benefit global disease-prevention efforts. He added that Taiwan’s population and economy make it a significant partner for international health programs.

Members who spoke in favor framed the resolution as a humanitarian and public-health step rather than a shift in U.S. diplomatic recognition. The resolution directs Utah’s delegation and expresses the legislature’s view urging federal officials to support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in specialized U.N. agencies. The resolution will be forwarded to the Senate for final processing.