CCTV: Registration for the 76th World Health Assembly will close this week. Taiwan has not received an invitation. What’s your comment?

Wang Wenbin: There is only one China in the world. The PRC government is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. 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. It must be handled in accordance with the one-China principle. This is a fundamental principle affirmed in UNGA Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1. 

For eight consecutive years from 2009 to 2016, the Taiwan region participated in the WHA as an observer in the name of “Chinese Taipei”. This is a special arrangement made through cross-Strait consultation on the basis of adherence by both sides of the Taiwan Strait to the 1992 Consensus, which embodies the one-China principle. The one-China principle is the political foundation for the peaceful development of cross-Strait ties and for the special arrangement for the Taiwan region’s participation in the WHA. After coming into power in 2016, the DPP has placed political calculations before the Taiwan people’s welfare and remained headstrong on “Taiwan independence”. As a result, the political foundation for the Taiwan region to participate in the WHA no longer exists. To uphold the one-China principle and the sanctity and authority of relevant UNGA and WHA resolutions, China has decided not to agree to let the Taiwan region participate in this year’s WHA. 

The Taiwan authorities claim that its absence from the WHA will cause a “gap” in global anti-epidemic efforts. That’s not true. They are just using this false assumption as a pretext to get into the WHA. The Chinese Central Government attaches great importance to the health and well-being of our compatriots in the Taiwan region, and has made proper arrangement for Taiwan’s participation in global health affairs on the condition that the one-China principle is upheld. According to the arrangement agreed on between China and WHO, Taiwan’s medical and health experts can participate in WHO technical meetings given that the one-China principle is upheld. Over the past year alone, medical and technical experts from China’s Taiwan region took part in WHO technical activities 24 times, which involved 26 participants. Taiwan has timely access to WHO information on global public health emergencies and reports to WHO in a timely manner the information of public health emergencies in Taiwan. Till now, the Chinese Central Government has updated the Taiwan region on COVID-19 over 500 times, including information about confirmed cases who are Taiwan residents staying in the mainland. These arrangements have ensured that Taiwan can promptly and effectively deal with any local or international public health emergency. The DPP authorities are hyping up Taiwan’s WHA participation not because this is necessary for epidemic response, but because they see it as a potential way to expand international space for “Taiwan independence”.

China’s decision of not agreeing to let the Taiwan region participate in this year’s WHA has received broad-based support and understanding from the international community. Recently, nearly 140 countries have communicated to China that they stand for the one-China principle and oppose Taiwan’s participation in the WHA. Nearly 100 countries wrote to the WHO Director-General or issued public statements to make that clear. This once again shows that the one-China principle has international support and represents the prevailing trend. It shows that the overwhelming majority of countries uphold the just and right position on Taiwan’s WHA participation. People around the world are sharp-eyed. Any attempt to play the “Taiwan card” to contain China will be firmly rejected by the overwhelming majority of members of the international community and will not succeed.