Two U.S. senators have jointly introduced legislation that establishes it is
America's policy to support Taiwan's participation in appropriate
international organizations.

The Taiwan International Participation Act of 2018 was initiated by
Republican Cory Gardner and Democrat Edward J. Markey, chairman and ranking
member, respectively, of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East
Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity.

It instructs American representatives in international organizations to use
the voice and vote of the US to support Taiwan's inclusion, along with
directing the president or his designated representative to raise Taiwan's
participation, in appropriate international organizations in all bilateral
engagements with China.

Gardner said the bill is in response to unprecedented pressure imposed by
China on international organizations, including the World Health
Organization (WHO), to exclude Taiwan.

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said a shipment of military equipment
from Taiwan en route to Burkina Faso will not be allowed to reach the
African country after it severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

According to MND spokesman Chen Chung-chi, none of the items will be given
to Burkina Faso, and the ministry is working with the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (MOFA) to deal with the issue.

DPP lawmaker Wang Ting-yu raised the issue in a Facebook post Friday when he
said the shipment of military gear bound for Burkina Faso from Taiwan had
already left Malaysia after transiting there on May 18.

He added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Armaments
Bureau have ordered the container to be returned to Taiwan once it arrives
at an African seaport.

Also affected by the cut in ties, Chen said, are 18 cadets from Burkina Faso
in Taiwan getting military training, including at the Republic of China
Military Academy and National Defense University.

On Thursday, Taiwan broke diplomatic ties with Burkina Faso after the
African country announced an end to its ties with the Republic of China
(Taiwan).

The severing of ties leaves Taiwan with only 18 diplomatic allies.

President Tsai Ing-wen is expressing regret over the severing of diplomatic
ties between Taiwan and Burkina Faso, calling on all parties in the country
to stand united amid China's continuing "oppression."

Meanwhile, Tsai also expressed regret that the opposition party in Taiwan
continues to criticize the ruling party, while remaining tolerant of China's
"oppression."

In the last two years, Taiwan has seen a significant improvement in
relations with the United States, Japan, and like-minded nations in Europe,
she said, trends which have made China even more agitated.

As President, Tsai said her most important mission is to preserve the pride
and dignity of the Taiwanese people, and that the country will never back
down in its commitment to strengthening relationships with its allies.

Earlier on Friday, the KMT criticized the government for the rupture of
relations with the African nation Burkina Faso, saying the political
ideology of President Tsai's administration has led Taiwan into a corner and
instead she should apologize to the people of Taiwan for her misguided
foreign policy.

The U.S. State Department on Friday accused China of changing the
cross-Taiwan Strait status quo as it expressed disappointment at Burkina
Faso's decision to break diplomatic ties with Taiwan, widely suspected to be
due to enticements from Beijing.

Praising Taiwan as a vibrant democracy and reliable partner, a spokesperson
for the U.S. State Department said the United States continues to stand by
the island and conducts cooperative and friendly relations with it in
accordance with Washington's one-China policy set forth in the three Joint
Communiques and Taiwan Relations Act.

Burkina Faso announced Thursday that it was cutting ties with Taiwan.

Taiwan's National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) and Philippine's Map
University (MU) on Friday opened a water quality research center in Manila to
try and improve the quality of drinking water for residents in the
Philippine capital city.

The center was established with the joint support of NCKU, MU and Taiwan's
Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) to study the quality of water at
Laguna Lake, located south of the Manila area, Lin said.

It is the second largest lake in Southeast Asia and an important source of
drinking water for residents living in Manila.

NCKU and MU carried out a large-scale investigation in August 2016 into the
lake and found harmful bacteria, algae toxins and odor, which may affect the
safety of the drinking water.

President Tsai Ing-wen announced today that Taiwan will donate US$1 million
to the World Health Organization (WHO) to fight the Ebola virus, even though
the country was excluded from the annual meeting of the World Health
Assembly, the highest decision making body of the WHO.

Tsai said despite the exclusion from the WHA due to opposition from China,
Taiwan is determined to continue its contribution to the world's health
enhancement by donating the funds to combat Ebola, which first appeared in
1976 in Sudan and Congo.

Ebola, transmitted through direct contact with blood or other bodily fluids
of infected people, has become one of the most virulent diseases in the
world.