Proposal on Taiwan rejected by WHA again

GENEVA－The World Health Assembly, the highest decision-making body of the World Health Organization, and the General Committee of the WHA on Monday separately decided not to include in its agenda a proposal on Taiwan's participation in the annual assembly as an observer.

The decision at the 75th WHA fully demonstrates that the one-China principle has become the consensus of the international community and represents the aspiration of the people and the trend of the times. The political manipulation of Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authorities through the pandemic wins no support, brings disgrace to themselves and is doomed to fail.

On the basis of adherence to the one-China principle on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, the Chinese central government has agreed to allow the Taiwan region to participate in the WHA as an observer for eight consecutive years from 2009 to 2016.

Since the DPP came into power, it has stubbornly adhered to the separatist position of "Taiwan independence" and refused to recognize the 1992 Consensus that embodies the one-China principle. As a result, the political foundation for the Taiwan region to join the WHA has ceased to exist.

Since 2017, the Chinese central government has suspended the special arrangement for the Taiwan region to participate in the WHA.The WHA has also rejected Taiwan-related proposals for many years.

As COVID-19 continues to spread across the world, the international community has expected this year's WHA to strengthen cooperation and solidarity in fighting the epidemic. However, the DPP authorities have gone against the trend of history and insisted on making Taiwan-related proposals, which fully exposed its political plot to engage in "Taiwan independence" separatist activities by hyping up its participation in the WHA.

The vast majority of the world's countries uphold a just position on Taiwan-related issues at the WHA.

Chen Xu, China's permanent representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva, said in a statement during the meeting that the Taiwan-related proposal has no legal basis, stressing that United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1 provide the legal basis for the WHO to abide by the one-China principle.

The Taiwan region's participation in the WHA must be handled in accordance with the one-China principle and through cross-strait consultations, Chen noted.

Xinhua