TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) on Saturday thanked members of the US House of Representatives for their letter to the World Trade Organization.

In March, Cameroon demanded the Taiwan delegation at a WTO ministerial meeting use the name “Taiwan, Province of China” on their visa, even though its official designation for the trade group was “The Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu.” As a result, the delegation did not travel to the Cameroon meeting.

Twenty-six US representatives from both parties wrote a letter to WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. They asked for a response by June 3 on how the WTO Secretariat would prevent similar incidents from affecting members’ rights.

Lin expressed thanks for Thursday’s joint letter to the WTO in a statement on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website Saturday. Since joining the organization in 2002, Taiwan has always been respected as a separate and equal member of the group, Lin said.

Cameroon’s actions implied that Taiwan was not an independent member and infringed its right to participate in the ministerial conference, he added. The minister said Taiwan will continue to work with WTO members sharing similar values to defend its rights.