MAC protests China's obstruction in keeping Taiwan out of WHA

ROC Central News Agency

2018/05/08 13:54:42

Taipei, May 8 (CNA) Taiwan's top agency in charge of China policy has denounced China's move to block Taiwan's participation in this year's meeting of the World Health Assembly (WHA).

The Mainland Affairs Council criticized China after Taiwan did not receive an invitation to attend the meeting from the World Health Organization (WHO) by the early Tuesday morning (Taiwan time) deadline for online registration because of Beijing's obstruction.

The MAC accused China of not really wanting to improve cross-Taiwan Strait relations and of repeatedly hurting the feelings and interests of the Taiwanese people.

China's move not only violates the World Health Organization's Constitution but also constitutes deprivation of the rights of Taiwan's people, the MAC said.

China has obstructed and hindered Taiwan's participation in the WHA and turned a blind eye to the health rights of Taiwan's people through unilateral political propositions, showing that it has no interest in improving cross-strait relations, the statement said.

Health care is a universal value and knows no borders, and the right to health of Taiwan's people should be protected, the statement said, and it urged the WHO, as a non-political organization and the standard bearer for global public health, not to succumb to Beijing's political demands.

The MAC also called on the Chinese authorities not to pass the buck and shift the blame for Taiwan's exclusion from this year's assembly to Taiwan and urged it not to put politics ahead of the health of Taiwan's people.

An Fengshan (安峰山), spokesman for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said in a statement Monday that Taiwan will not be allowed to attend the annual meeting of the WHA later this month in Geneva because of the stance of its government.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government refuses to recognize the "1992 consensus," which embodies the "one-China principle," An said.

"The political foundation for Taiwan's participation in the WHA does not exist," he said. "The responsibility lies with the DPP authorities."

As a specialized agency of the United Nations, the WHO must handle the Taiwan issue in line with the "one-China principle" as reflected in the U.N. General Assembly Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1, An contended.

The MAC rejected An's view, saying Beijing was wrong to link the "one-China principle" with the U.N. and WHA resolutions as part of its attempt to use political reasons to exclude Taiwan from this year's WHA, without elaborating.

The U.N. resolution, passed on Oct. 25, 1971, recognized the People's Republic of China as "the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations" and expelled th representatives of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

The WHA resolution expelled the "representatives of Chiang Kai-shek from the place they unlawfully occupy at the World Health Organization" in 1972.

Taiwan will be excluded from the WHA for a second straight year because of China's obstruction after participating in the WHA as an observer from 2009 to 2016 when the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was in power.

But Beijing has taken a harder line against Taiwan and put increasing pressure on it in the international community since Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) took over as president in May 2016, including using its influence to keep Taiwan out of the WHA in May 2017.

Tsai and her DPP have refused to accept the "1992 consensus" that underpinned ties with China when Ma was in office, because it implies that China and Taiwan belong to the same country.

(By Miao Zong-han and Evelyn Kao)
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