INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
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
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)
