China firmly opposes
Taiwan's
participation in the World Health Organization (WHO) conference as
an observer, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said in Beijing
Thursday.
Commenting on the Marshall Islands' recent request to invite Taiwan
to attend the WHO conference as an observer, spokeswoman Zhang
Qiyue said it lacks legal foundation and violates WHO principles to
move any motion concerning Taiwan at the WHO conference, and the
Chinese government firmly opposes such move.
The WHO is a specialized agency of the United Nations and only
sovereign states are eligible to apply for membership, Zhang said.
Taiwan, a province of China, is therefore not eligible to
participate in the WHO or attend the WHO conference as an
observer.
The central government of China is very concerned about the health
of all Chinese people, including Taiwanese, and has been active in
promoting exchanges and cooperation in the health arena across the
Taiwan Straits, sharing information on severe acute respiratory
syndrome with related agencies in Taiwan for joint efforts to fight
the disease, Zhang said.
The Taiwan issue directly affects China's sovereignty and
territorial integrity, Zhang said, and China opposes any political
maneuvers made in the name of health issues.
The WHO conference has refused Taiwan-related proposals for the
past six years, which indicates the position of most WHO member
states to uphold justice, the spokeswoman said, adding that the
initiative on the part of few countries to make any Taiwan-related
proposal at the WHO conference will be doomed to failure again.
(Xinhua News Agency May 8, 2003)