On November 6, the Permanent Mission of the United States in Geneva agitated for the so-called "Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly" at its website and tweet. In response, I would like to solemnly reiterate the following:
The world needs solidarity and cooperation more than ever while the Covid-19 pandemic is still rampant. It is the common aspiration of the international community that the upcoming resumed session of the 73rd World Health Assembly (WHA) should be committed to scaling up international cooperation to fight against the pandemic. Over the past years, the proposal of including the supplementary item of "inviting Taiwan to participate in WHA as an observer" in the provisional agenda of the Assembly has been consecutively rejected by WHA, which clearly demonstrates the international consensus on the one-China principle and should by no means be challenged. The US instigated certain countries to stir up the issue in an attempt to politicize the health issue at the cost of smooth proceeding of WHA and international cooperation against the pandemic. This move will surely be firmly opposed by the international community.
The Chinese Central Government always attaches great importance to the health and well-being of our compatriots in the Taiwan region. Since COVID-19 broke out, the Central Government invited Taiwan experts traveling to Wuhan to observe epidemic containment efforts on the ground at the earliest time. As of October 6, the Central Government has sent 243 notifications on COVID-19 to the Taiwan region. Since 2019, under the one-China principle, altogether Taiwan experts in 19 groups have participated in WHO technical activities. As a matter of fact, the Taiwan region has unimpeded access to epidemic information. Therefore, the claim of a "gap" in global anti-epidemic efforts is simply not true. Certain countries while hyping the Taiwan region as a "gap", instigated the Taiwan local authority to boast of its expertise in fighting the pandemic, which is totally self-contradictory and by itself a groundless lie.
The participation of the Taiwan region, which is part of China, in the WHA must be handled in accordance with the one-China principle, which is a fundamental principle enshrined in UNGA Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1. The Taiwan Democratic People's Party (DPP) authorities obstinately adhered to the separatist position of "Taiwan independence" and refused to recognize that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China. As a result, the political foundation for the Taiwan region to participate in WHA has ceased to exist. The DPP authorities refused to accept the one-China principle, undertook political manipulation under the disguise of health issue, and conducted separatist activities in the international arena. The Chinese government definitely object to such tendency and moves. Our principled position will continue to enjoy wide range of support by the international community.