The World Health Assembly (WHA), the highest decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), decided on Monday not to include a proposal on Taiwan's participation in the annual assembly as an observer in its agenda.This marks the ninth consecutive year that the WHA has rejected Taiwan-related proposals.Spokespersons from the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office voiced support for WHA's decision and denounced the Taiwan region's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' separatist stance. China's Taiwan region, unless given approval by the central government, has no basis, reason or right to participate in the WHA, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday.China's position on the Taiwan region's participation in the activities of international organizations, including the WHO, is consistent and clear, the spokesperson said, adding that China's position on the issue "must be handled in line with one-China principle, which is also a fundamental principle as demonstrated by the UNGA Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1."Due to the DPP authorities' persistent separatist stance, the political foundation for the Taiwan region to participate in the WHA no longer exists, said the spokesperson.Noting that the central government attaches great importance to the health and well-being of its compatriots in Taiwan, the spokesperson said that under the prerequisite that the one-China principle is upheld, the Chinese central government has made proper arrangements for the Taiwan region's participation in global health affairs and that the Taiwan region's medical and health experts can participate in WHO technical meetings.Over the past year, China's Taiwan region made 11 applications to participate in WHO technical activities.
They involved 12 participants, and the central government approved all the applications, the spokesperson said.Under the framework of the International Health Regulations, the Taiwan region has unimpeded and full-fledged information exchange mechanisms with the WHO and countries in the world, and it can promptly access and report to the WHO concerning information related to health emergencies, the spokesperson added.However, for quite some time, the DPP authorities and certain countries have been blatantly turning back the wheel of history by deliberately distorting and challenging UNGA Resolution 2758 to challenge the one-China principle, the spokesperson said, adding that they are essentially trying to challenge, not only China's sovereignty and territorial integrity but also international justice and prevailing consensus as well as the post-war international order.The spokesperson said China's decision not to approve the Taiwan region's participation in this year's WHA has wide support and understanding from the international community.No matter what the DPP authorities say or do, the fact remains that the two sides of the Straits belong to the same China, Taiwan is part of China, and the trend toward China's ultimate and inevitable reunification cannot be stopped, said the spokesperson."Taiwan independence" leads nowhere, and provocations for that are doomed to failure, the spokesperson said.Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said the WHA's decision again demonstrates that adhering to the one-China principle is a universal consensus of the international community.The basic pattern of the international community adhering to the one-China principle cannot be challenged or shaken, Chen Binhua said. Chen Binhua said that as the DPP authorities persist in their separatist stance and do not recognize the 1992 Consensus, which embodies the one-China principle, the political foundation for the Taiwan region to participate in the WHA no longer exists. Noting the DPP authorities' attempt to carry out so-called Taiwan-related proposals goes against the international community's consensus, Chen Binhua said it is only natural that they will suffer another setback.The 78th WHA officially opened in Geneva on Monday.
Chen Xu, permanent representative of China to the UN Office at Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland, said in his speech during the assembly that the WHA has rejected so-called Taiwan-related proposals for consecutive years, thereby upholding the UN's authority and the post-war international order. Facts have proven that the path of "Taiwan independence" is a dead end, Chen Xu said. (With input from Xinhua)