Yeh made the remarks while attending an event promoting smoke-free taxis ahead of the Jan.11 implementation of the revised Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act that imposes a strict ban on smoking indoors in public places, including on taxis.

Noting that Taiwan is on par with, or even outperform, Singapore, Hong Kong and Scandinavian countries in efforts to establish a smoke-free environment, Yeh said he looks forward to sharing Taiwan's experiences in this regard with other countries at this year's conference of the WHA-- the top decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), a U.N. specialized agency.

Although Taiwan is no longer a WHO member since its expulsion from the United Nations, Taiwan's health minister has since 1997 consistently headed a delegation to Geneva in May when the WHA convenes its annual meeting to convey Taiwan people's desire to have a voice in the WHA. Because of China's opposition, Taiwan's DOH minister usually could only be seated in the WHA conference hall's public gallery.

Yeh's remarks came amid reports that China may show goodwill this time around and concur with Taiwan's participation in the WHA as an observer under the designation of "Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu health entity." In response, DOH spokesman Wang Je-chau said Yeh will follow his predecessors' practice of heading a delegation to the WHA meeting venue in May.

If the speculation about China's consent to Taiwan's WHA observer status turns out to be true, Wang said it should still be approved by the WHO director-general or the WHA assembly before Yeh can gain access to the annual WHA session.

Should that be the case, Yeh will be the first Taiwanese health minister to attend an annual WHA meeting following Taiwan's ascension as a WHA observer. Under current regulations, an observer can attend the WHA's annual session, but cannot take part in its decision making.

President Ma Ying-jeou's administration has focused on securing a WHA observer status for Taiwan since it took power last May. Thanks to his conciliatory approach toward China, the once-icy relations across the Taiwan Strait have been warming over the past few months.

(By Sofia Wu)