Taiwan’s bid to join the World Health Organization will be dealt a significant blow and it faces more uncertainty on security, hi-tech industries and trade now that Donald Trump has returned to the White House, analysts say.

The self-governed island plans to launch a fresh campaign to join the WHO as an observer during the global health agency’s annual assembly in Geneva in May, aiming to rally support from the United States and other like-minded democracies.

But Trump’s move to withdraw the US from the WHO will be a serious setback for these efforts, removing a long-term supporter of Taiwan’s “meaningful participation” at the World Health Assembly, the WHO’s decision-making body.

Trump signed an executive order for the WHO exit soon after his inauguration as US president on Monday, saying it had mishandled the Covid-19 pandemic and other global health crises and failed to adopt “urgently needed reforms”. A long-time critic of the WHO, Trump had begun the withdrawal process during his first term as president in 2020 but the move was reversed by his successor Joe Biden in 2021.

With the wheels again set in motion for the US – the WHO’s biggest financial backer – to exit the health body, there are concerns about what it will mean for those who rely on its programmes. For Taiwan, there are fears it could also negatively impact the island’s bid to join the WHO.

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Trump signs series of executive orders on first day back in White House

Trump signs series of executive orders on first day back in White House

“This situation is highly unfavourable for Taiwan, as the US has been a crucial supporter of Taiwan’s efforts to join the WHA,” said Chen Ping-kuei, a professor of diplomacy and international strategy at National Chengchi University in Taipei.