The 56th WHA yesterday turned down a proposal by the Marshall Islands to invite Taiwan to participate as an observer.

Zhang noted that this was the seventh time the WHA had rejected Taiwan-related bills.

The World Health Organization is an agency of the United Nations which is only open to sovereign states. Taiwan, as a province of China, is ineligible to join the organization or participate in the WHA, Zhang said.

The central government of China has always attached great importance to and been very much concerned about the health and safety of all Chinese people, including those in Taiwan, Zhang said.

After the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) on the island, the central government initiated a series of measures to promote information exchanges and material aid across the Taiwan Straits, she said.

The central government had allowed WHO experts to do research in Taiwan and for Taiwan health experts to attend SARS-related technical meetings organized by the WHO. Taiwan's access to health information and technical aid was unrestricted.

Zhang said the Taiwan authorities this year had pressed a few countries to put forward Taiwan-related proposals to the WHA. These moves violated relevant resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly, and went against the WHO's tenets and principles and would inevitably and naturally be rejected by the WHA.

Xinhua

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