An article presented at a forum in Taipei yesterday urged Beijing to reconsider its “outdated strategy” to block Taiwan from joining international organizations.
The article was coauthored by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Wu Chih-chung (吳志中) and National Chung Hsing University’s Graduate Institute of International Politics Chairman Chen Mu-min (陳牧民).
“China must consider this at a time when many issues have transcended the sovereignty-oriented mindset and require transnational collaboration,” said the article, which was presented by Wu on the final day of the two-day forum, titled “Direct Election of President and Taiwan’s Democratic Development in the Past 20 Years.”
The article said China’s stubborn objection to Taiwan’s participation in the international community might not only cause harm to its international image and hinder its plan of becoming the world’s leading power, but can also be met by growing sentiment that is opposed to China and could damage cross-strait relations.
China should give serious thought to abandoning its outdated mindset and policies to allow Taipei, Beijing and the entire international community to jointly build a future at a time when the welfare and safety of people are threatened by global warming, environmental pollution, the globalization of crime and the emergence of epidemics, the article said.
The article was apparently referring to the WHO’s unprecedented mentioning of the “one China” principle in Taiwan’s invitation to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA), which arrived days before the deadline for registering for the forum.
The controversial reference to the “one China” principle was perceived as Beijing’s attempt to step up its pressure on President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to toe Beijing’s line.
Wu said China has nothing to gain from blocking Taiwan’s participation at the WHO, which focuses mainly on public health issues, as the health of Chinese tourists to Taiwan could also be at risk should an epidemic break out in the nation.
Expressing hopes that Taipei and Beijing could come to an understanding on the matter and jointly strive for a win-win situation, Wu said Taiwan’s participation at the WHO is closely intertwined with the welfare, health and safety of humanity.
Additional reporting by CNA
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