Signage for the World Health Organization (WHO) Photo:VCG

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' hope of being invited to the 76th World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer was squashed again after the assembly started on Sunday in Geneva, Switzerland.

Chinese mainland analysts pointed out that, with the support of the US-led Western camp, the DPP authorities are hyping up Taiwan's WHA participation as they see it as a potential way to expand the so-called international space for "Taiwan independence."

Recently, the Permanent Mission of the US in Geneva repeatedly agitated for the so-called Taiwan's participation in the WHA, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), as an observer. In response, China's Permanent Mission to the UN Office at Geneva and Other International Organizations in Switzerland refuted the distorted remarks by the US on the Taiwan question on late Saturday.

 "There is only one China in the world. The Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory," said the Chinese Mission in an announcement. Altogether, 182 countries, including the US, have established diplomatic relations with China on the basis of abiding by the one-China principle. Taiwan region's participation in the activities of international organizations, including the WHO, 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, the Chinese mission said in the announcement.

The announcement noted that for eight consecutive years from 2009 to 2016, the Taiwan region participated in the WHA as an observer in the name of "Chinese Taipei," which is a special arrangement made through cross-Straits consultation on the basis of adherence by both sides of the Taiwan Straits to the 1992 Consensus, which embodies the one-China principle. 

However, after coming into power, the DPP authorities have placed political calculations before the Taiwan people's welfare, remained headstrong on "Taiwan independence" and refused to admit the one-China principle. As a result, the political foundation for the Taiwan region to participate in the WHA no longer exists, the Chinese Mission stated.

The island of Taiwan has never been excluded from the WHO, although the DPP authorities are not qualified to participate in the WHA. But now the DPP is trying to confuse the public by equating its lack of access to participate in the WHA with the people of the island not enjoying the relevant rights of the WHO, Zhu Songling, a professor at the Institute of Taiwan Studies of Beijing Union University, told the Global Times on Sunday. "But the two are completely different things," Zhu stressed.

The Taiwan authorities claimed that its absence from the WHA will cause a "gap" in global anti-epidemic efforts. But that is not true, said analysts, noting that the DPP is just using this false assumption as a pretext to get into the WHA.

The Chinese mission said that 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. 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 information about public health emergencies on the island to the WHO in a timely manner. These arrangements ensure that Taiwan island can promptly and effectively deal with any local or international public health emergency.