Q: Recently, the Taiwan authorities were advocating the so-called "Taiwan joining the WHO and WHA". What's your comment?

A: There is but one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. China’s position on the Taiwan region’s participation in the activities of international organizations, including the WHO, is consistent and clear, that is, this must be handled under the one-China principle, which is also a basic principle enshrined in the UNGA Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1.

China’s Taiwan region, unless given approval by the Central Government, has no basis, reason or right to participate in the WHA. After coming into power in 2016, the DPP has refused to recognize the 1992 consensus and been hellbent on the separatist stance of “Taiwan independence.” As a result, the political foundation for the Taiwan region to participate in the WHA no longer exists. Hence, China has decided not to approve the Taiwan region’s participation in this year’s WHA. This decision has sufficient reason and a solid legal basis. It’s not just about upholding the one-China principle but also about the sanctity and authority of relevant UNGA and WHA resolutions.

The DPP authorities and some countries claim that Taiwan’s absence from the WHA will cause a “gap” in global anti-epidemic efforts and use it as an excuse to demand “Taiwan’s meaningful participation” in the WHO. That’s a politically-driven and completely false claim. Chinese compatriots on the two sides of the Taiwan Straits are all Chinese and the Chinese central government cares most about the well-being of the people in the Taiwan region. In fact, on the premise of the one-China principle, the Central Government of China has made proper arrangement for the Taiwan region’s participation in international cooperation in various areas including the global health affairs. Over the past year alone, medical and technical experts from China’s Taiwan region applied for participation in WHO technical activities 21 times, which involved 24 participants, and all the applications were approved by the Chinese Central Government. There is an International Health Regulations Contact Point in the Taiwan region for it to promptly access and report to the WHO concerning information related to health emergencies. Facts fully reflect that our Taiwan compatriots’ rights to health are duly protected.

The one-China principle is where global opinion trends and the arc of history bends. The DPP authorities have been advocating "Taiwan joining the WHO and WHA". They are definitely not for the health and welfare of people in Taiwan but for sheer political gains. Any attempt to play the “Taiwan card” and use Taiwan to contain China will only be met with firm opposition from the international community and is doomed to failure.