FM: WHO denying Taiwan welcome
( 2001-05-15 09:09 ) (9 )

China has welcomed a World Health Assembly (WHA) decision to deny Taiwan province participation in the body's activities.

As a province of China, Taiwan cannot participate in the activities of the World Health Organization (WHO), a UN organization only for sovereign states, including the World Health Assembly (WHA), the Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

"This is a fact known to all," said ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi, following the unanimous decision of the 54th WHA earlier yesterday to exclude from its agenda a proposal submitted by a handful of countries, including Honduras, to "invite Taiwan to attend the WHA with observer's status."

This has once again smashed the Taiwan authorities' scheme to participate in the WHA and other activities of the WHO, Sun said.

The proposal was nothing but an attempt to create "two Chinas," or "one China, one Taiwan" within the WHO, he said, adding that this is against the relevant resolutions of the UN Assembly and the WHA, and the general principles of international law.

It is definitely objected to by the Chinese Government, the Chinese people and all the nations of the world who uphold justice, and treated with disdain by the international community, said the spokesman.

He stressed that the Taiwan issue is an internal affair of China, and no other nation has the right to interfere with it.

The Chinese Government firmly objects to any party engaging in activities aimed at splitting China on the excuse of the health issue, and to any country's interference in China's internal affairs, he said.

"We firmly believe that the just cause of the Chinese Government and people in maintaining national sovereignty and territorial integrity will continue to be understood and supported by countries and peoples of the world who uphold justice," said the spokesman.