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Taiwan condemns China for blocking health regulations participation

ROC Central News Agency

2008-01-22 15:04:21

    Geneva, Jan. 21 (CNA) Taiwan officials in Geneva condemned what they called China's intensifying suppression of Taiwan Monday in the wake of Beijing's latest move to obstruct the country's participation in the International Health Regulations (IHR).

    Officials were angered by the World Health Organization's (WHO's) rejection of a draft resolution calling for wider IHR coverage that was initiated by representatives of three of Taiwan's diplomatic allies.

    The measure would have encouraged non-members like Taiwan "to join the global disease control system by... urging them to designate or establish their respective IHR Focal Point, as guided by the goal of the universal application for the implementation of the regulations."

    The bill was originally scheduled for consideration during Tuesday's meeting of the 122nd session of the WHO's Executive Board, but China successfully blocked the draft after unexpectedly requesting that its review be advanced to Monday 10 minutes before the day's meeting was about to conclude, when most of the bill's sponsors were not present.

    Lyushun Shen, director of the Geneva branch of Taiwan's representative office in Switzerland, said the incident indicates China's suppression of Taiwan has grown more relentless than ever.

    Shen protested what he called the unfair ruling by Executive Board Chairman Balaji Sadasivan to reject the bill, saying it was the result of Beijing throwing its weight around on the board. "Unless the WHO does something about it, Taiwan will remain a gap in the global disease surveillance system after the Executive Board meeting concludes," Shen said.

    During Monday's meeting, Li Baodong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva, issued a statement claiming Taiwan is part of China and that the draft resolution has challenged the "one-China" principle.

    Li said with statehood being the prerequisite for IHR implementation, Beijing already stated in May 2007 that the IHR applies to the "entire territory of the People's Republic of China, including the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macao Special Administrative Region and the Taiwan Province."

    Under an agreement reached between Beijing and the WHO Secretariat in April 2007 on the issue of the application of the regulations in Taiwan, China's National Focal Point will handle routine IHR matters through existing cross-Taiwan Strait health communication channels, according to Li.

    Li also suggested that in case of public health emergencies in Taiwan, China would work with the WHO Secretariat to take appropriate action based on the secret China-WHO memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in 2005.

    However, Shen dismissed Li's approach, pointing out that no channel currently exists across the Taiwan Strait for IHR application in Taiwan.

    Shen contended that any action taken under the MOU framework -- agreed upon without any input from Taiwan -- would be ineffective without Taiwan's cooperation.

(By Y.C. Jou and Y.F. Low)

ENDITEM/ls