Tue, Apr 15, 2008 page3

• China has always stood firm on ‘one China,’ Huang says

  • STAFF WRITER, WITH CNA
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  China has always stood firm behind the “one China” principle in the international community, insisting that there was only one China, and that Taiwan was part of China, and that the People’s Republic of China is the only lawful representative of the Chinese government, Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (黃志芳) yesterday said in Tainan City.

  At a lunch meeting with reporters, Huang said that shortly after the government’s recent application to join the WHO under the name “Taiwan,” China sent a declaration to all WHO member states asserting its position that it would block all such bids proposed by Taiwan.

  Huang was quoted as saying that “the key issue was not under what name Taiwan was using to join the WHO, but in China’s attitude — China was deeply afraid that if it let Taiwan join the WHO, the situation would be conceived as a concession and a domino effect would occur.”

  Even if Taiwan filed for WHO membership under a different name, China would still be opposed, Huang said.

  Regarding China’s statement to all WHO member states of its intent to block all bids made by Taiwan, Huang said that such behavior violated WHO regulations, since it deprived and limited the rights of the other states.

  He said that WHO would not accept China’s violation of other member states’ rights, adding that Taiwan would communicate the issue with the US and the EU.

  Asked about the brief appearance of the sensitive words “one China” in the Chinese press release after vice-president-elect Vincent Siew’s (蕭萬長) attendance of the Boao Asian Forum, Huang said China had never made concessions on its “one China” stance.

  Huang added that “one China” was the key problem that existed in the cross-strait relationship.

  Whenever participating in events in the international community, Taiwan would inevitably encounter the curse of “one China,” Huang said, adding that though within the nation the topic was reignited after the presidential election, China’s “one China” position had never been shaken.

  Drawing from his experience in foreign affairs, Huang said that the obstacle still stood in the way of Taiwan’s diplomatic and cross-strait work. Since foreign affairs signified the sovereignty of a country, Huang said the new government should handle the sensitive matter with care.

  The more difficult the diplomatic predicament the country is in, the more the government needs the support of the people, Huang said.

  He said president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had promised to place emphasis on Taiwan’s diplomatic relationships with its allies.
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