The World Health Assembly (WHA) has become a stage for China‘s manipulation of the UN system and international legal order, as Beijing attempts to disrupt the cross-strait “status quo,” the Foundation of Medical Professionals Alliance in Taiwan (MPAT) said in a news release yesterday.
The WHO’s 79th annual WHA commenced yesterday in Geneva, Switzerland. Taiwan did not receive an invitation for the 10th consecutive year, having last observed the assembly in 2016.
Yesterday, the assembly’s General Committee and the Plenary Session again rejected a proposal calling for Taiwan to be invited to attend the WHA as an observer.
Photo: AFP
The assembly held a plenary hearing to discuss Taiwan’s participation in the WHA, hearing from China and Pakistan advocating for its continued exclusion, as Taiwanese allies Palau and Paraguay voiced support for Taiwan’s participation.
China invoked the three core tenets of its “one China” principle, stating that there is only one China in the world, Taiwan is a part of China and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the sole legitimate government representing all of China, the alliance said.
Beijing further distorted the meaning of UN Resolution 2758, it said.
The resolution, passed in 1971, states that the PRC is the only legitimate government of China, which allowed it to replace the Republic of China as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
It also referenced WHA Resolution 25.1 of 1972, which appointed the PRC as the sole legitimate representative of China within the WHO, expelling Taiwan.
Taiwan has already held eight democratic elections and its lawmakers are elected by the public, the alliance said.
China’s deliberate manipulation of UN Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1 cannot negate the fact that only the independent, democratically elected Taiwanese government can represent the people of Taiwan on the international stage, it said.
Beijing repeatedly states that it is Taiwan attempting to disrupt the “status quo,” but it is China that is manipulating the state of cross-strait relations and using the UN and the WHA to provoke tensions, alliance executive director Lin Shih-chia (林世嘉) said.
Taiwan’s public healthcare and National Health Insurance system are world-renowned, and as the world’s “silicon island,” it is a key proponent of intelligent healthcare worldwide, he said.
For many years, Taiwan has hosted various events alongside the WHA in Geneva, promoted the development of “smart” healthcare systems worldwide and demonstrated key achievements, such as meeting the WHO’s hepatitis C elimination goals five years ahead of target, he said.
Taiwan’s public health performance is worthy of serving as a global model, he added.
During yesterday’s hearing, Chinese Representative to the UN at Geneva Jia Guide (賈桂德) said that Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party has “stubbornly adhered to the separatist position of Taiwan independence,” negating the possibility for Taiwan to participate in the WHA.
Jia called on Taiwan’s allies to “stop politicizing health issues” by supporting Taiwan’s participation in the WHA for their “own selfish reasons,” calling the action a breach of the UN charter.
He further said that any gap in the international epidemic prevention system is “nothing but sheer nonsense,” and that Taiwan’s exclusion from the WHA does not impact technical exchanges between Taiwan and the WHO.
Lastly, China requested that the WHA president make a decisive ruling to reject the inclusion of Taiwan-related proposals in the assembly’s agenda.
China’s stance was echoed by Pakistan, which said that the issue “falls beyond the mandate” of the WHA and urged member states to focus instead on the technical health agenda.
Palau and Paraguay supported Taiwan, rejecting China’s interpretation of Resolution 2758 and referencing Taiwan’s contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Excluding Taiwan weakens global disease surveillance, delays information sharing and undermines collective preparedness, Palau said, adding that this is not a political issue, but a “public health imperative.”
Paraguay said that attaining the highest possible standard of health is a fundamental human right, and with the resurgence of infectious diseases and zoonotic threats, the exclusion of any actor with proven capacities is “a risk for all of us.”
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