Signage for the World Health Organization (WHO) Photo:VCG

China's Taiwan, unless given approval by the central government, has no basis, reason or right to participate in the World Health Assembly (WHA), and the related matters must be handled in accordance with the one-China principle, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

China's position on the Taiwan region's participation in the activities of international organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), is consistent and clear, said spokesperson Wang Wenbin: It must be handled under the one-China principle, which is also a fundamental principle demonstrated by the UNGA Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1.

There is but one China in the world. The government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, Wang added.

Wang also said it is politically driven and completely false for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities and some countries to claim that Taiwan's absence from the WHA will cause a "gap" in global anti-epidemic efforts.

Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said on Monday that from 2009 to 2016, Taiwan participated in the WHA as an observer in the name of "Chinese Taipei," which is a special arrangement made through cross-Straits consultation on the basis of the 1992 Consensus.

The DPP authorities stubbornly insist in their "Taiwan independence" separatist stance, refusing to acknowledge the 1992 Consensus which embodies the one-China principle, so the political basis for Taiwan's participation in the WHA no longer exists. This situation is entirely caused by the DPP authorities, according to the spokesperson.

Chen added that China has always been concerned about the health and well-being of compatriots in Taiwan and has made appropriate arrangements for Taiwan's participation in global health systems.

A total of 21 batches of 24 medical experts from Taiwan have participated in WHO technical activities over the past year, Chen said. Under the framework of the International Health Regulations, any information on public health emergencies from the WHO is also available to Taiwan.

Chen said that the DPP authorities have recently taken advantage of the international community's interest in global public health issues to repeatedly manipulate the issue of Taiwan's participation in the WHA, with the real purpose of highlighting its so-called "sovereignty status," and with the intention of using health issues to seek independence and challenge the international community's adherence to the basic pattern of the one-China principle.

The deceptive and provocative behavior of the DPP authorities has long been observed by compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits and by the international community, and will surely end up in failure, Chen said.

Chen also said on May 3 that the Taiwan question is part of China's internal affairs, and there should be no foreign interference, following a comment from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that encouraged the WHO "to reinstate an invitation to Taiwan to participate as an observer at this year's WHA."

Global Times