Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue stated yesterday that China was firmly opposed to the request by a senior Japanese official to invite Taiwan to attend the World Health Organization (WHO) as an observer.

Zhang said the WHO is a specialized agency of the United Nations and only sovereign states are entitled to become members and participate in its activities.

Taiwan, as a province of China, is neither qualified to participate in WHO activities nor is there any legal basis for the island joining WHO in any capacity, she said.

Japanese health, labour and welfare minister Chikara Sakaguchi proposed on Sunday that the WHO let Taiwan join the organization as an observer.

"No country or individual has the right to invite Taiwan to participate in the WHO as an observer," said Zhang.

The spokeswoman also revealed that Vice-Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who has returned from a trip to Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK), has stated the position of the Chinese Government to Japanese leaders.

Wang called on Japan to adhere to the one-China policy and preserve the political basis for Sino-Japanese relations.

Wang held discussions with Japan and the ROK over the weekend on the nuclear standoff of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

China wants a dialogue-led resolution of the nuclear issue and maintains the "Beijing talks" should be continued, Zhang said.

The United States and DPRK held talks last month under Chinese auspices in Beijing in an effort to thaw the nuclear standoff that erupted last October.

Zhang said both Japan and the ROK considered the "Beijing talks" to be useful and should be continued.

"All parties (China, the ROK and Japan) agreed to pursue a peaceful resolution to the issue," Zhang said.

The spokeswoman also announced yesterday that China will dispatch a special envoy to the Middle East to discuss the international "roadmap" for peace with the Israelis and Palestinians.

"China's special envoy Wang Shijie to the Middle East will visit Israel and Palestine on May 18," she said, adding the envoy would exchange views with Israeli and Palestinian sides on the roadmap. "This represents a positive effort of the Chinese side towards an early settlement of the Middle East question."

China hopes the Israeli and Palestinian sides will seize this favourable opportunity, take effective measures and actively co-operate with the peace efforts by relevant parties to enable an early implementation of the plan, Zhang said. This will help the Palestine issue to be resolved at an early date and realize lasting peace and stability in the region.

Drafted by the diplomatic "quartet" of the United Nations, the United States, Russia and the European Union, the roadmap peace plan calls for an immediate ceasefire, a crackdown on Palestinian armed attacks against Israelis, an Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian territories, the dismantling of Jewish settlements in Palestinian areas, and an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel by 2005.