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Spokesperson on the report that the US Congress has approved the motion supporting Taiwan's participating in the World Health Assembly
2003-05-16 00:00
Q: Recently the US Congress has approved the motion supporting Taiwan's participating in the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer. What is your comment on this?

A: Despite of China's objection, the US Congress persisted in passing the motion supporting Taiwan's participating in the World Health Assembly as an observer. China expresses its strong dissatisfaction and firm objection to this move. And China has again lodged solemn representations to the US side on this issue.

Taiwan is a part of China. According to the relevant resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly and the regulations of the World Health Organization (WHO), Taiwan is unqualified to join the WHO as a member or as a quasi-member. Neither is Taiwan qualified to participate in the World Health Assembly as an observer.

China's central government has always been very concerned with the well being of the Taiwan compatriots. It has actively promoted exchange and cooperation across the Taiwan Straits in the health field. Since the outbreak of SARS, the central government has been sharing related information and experience with Taiwan and supported the inspection of WHO experts in Taiwan. Taiwan's channel of obtaining health information is unblocked.

It is clear that the Taiwan authorities wishes to make a political issue in the name of SARS, in order to create two Chinas or one China, one Taiwan in the international community. Since 1997, such an attempt by the Taiwan authorities has been defeated for six consecutive years. This year it is doomed to failure again.

We urge the US government to see clearly the political maneuvers by the Taiwan authorities, abide by the one-China policy and the three Sino-US Joint Communiqués. It should object definitively to the above motion by not supporting Taiwan's participation in the WHO, in order to avoid obstacles to the development of Sino-US relations.

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