The 57th World Health Assembly's (WHA) General Committee decided
on Monday not to include on the agenda a proposal to invite Taiwan
to participate as an observer in the WHA, the supreme
decision-making body for the World Health Organization (WHO).
Taiwan's attempt to access the WHO failed again when WHA
Chairman Mohammad Nasir Khan, who is also the Pakistani health
minister, announced the decision which is the consensus of the
25-member WHA General Committee.
This is the eighth successive failure since 1997 of similar
proposals by the Taiwan authorities and tabled by a few WHO member
states.
There's no legal ground and reason for inviting Taiwan to
participate in the WHA, said Gao Qiang, Chinese executive vice
minister of health.
The Taiwan-related proposal, tabled by a few countries like
Solomon Islands, runs counter to international law and WHO
principles and regulations, said Gao, who is head of the Chinese
delegation at the 57th WHA, held from Monday to Saturday at the
Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
Since the Chinese Mainland has actively carried out technical
exchanges and cooperation with Taiwan, approved WHO to dispatch
several groups of experts to inspect the situation of the Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
in Taiwan, and allowed Taiwan health and medical experts to attend
technical meetings convened by WHO, Taiwan has no difficulties in
getting information from WHOand carrying out technical exchanges
with it, he said.
The true purpose of the Taiwan authorities, Gao said, is not to
serve the interests of the health of the people in Taiwan, but to
create "two Chinas" or "One China, One Taiwan", to politicize the
health issue and to internationalize the Taiwan issue.
The Taiwan-related proposal was opposed by most member states of
WHO. Representatives of 31 countries, including Russia, Egypt,
Laos, Brazil, South Africa, Chile, Iran and Tanzania, delivered
speeches at the meeting in support of China's opposition.
They spoke highly of China's sincerity and efforts in actively
carrying out exchanges across the Taiwan straits and in helping
Taiwan to attain WHO's information and support.
They also expressed determination in firmly sticking to the
One-China principle and their opposition to including the
Taiwan-related proposal in the WHA agenda.
(Xinhua News Agency May 18, 2004)