Challenging one-China principle to end up nowhere: FM spokesperson

(ECNS) -- Challenging the one-China principle will end up nowhere and turning back the wheel of history will not succeed, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference on Monday.

Wang’s remarks came after the closure of registrations for the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA), during which Taiwan did not receive an invitation.

Wang said there is but one China in the world. “The government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory,” Wang stressed.

Wang pointed out that China’s position on the Taiwan region’s participation n in the activities of international organizations, including the WHO, is consistent and clear, that is, this must be handled under the one-China principle, which is also a fundamental principle demonstrated by the UNGA Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1.

China’s Taiwan region, unless given approval by the Central Government, has no basis, reason or right to participate in the WHA, he said.

“After coming into power in 2016, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has refused to recognize the 1992 consensus and been hellbent on the separatist stance of ‘Taiwan independence.’ As a result, the political foundation for the Taiwan region to participate in the WHA no longer exists. Hence, China has decided not to approve the Taiwan region’s participation in this year’s WHA. This decision has sufficient reason and a solid legal basis. It’s not just about upholding the one-China principle but also about the sanctity and authority of relevant UNGA and WHA resolutions,” he added.

The spokesperson said for quite some time, the DPP authorities and certain country have been deliberately distorting and challenging UNGA Resolution 2758, trumpeting the notion that Taiwan’s status is undetermined, and advocating support for Taiwan’s participation in the United Nations multilateral forums, including the WHA.

“These moves mislead international public opinion and challenge the one-China consensus among the international community. They trample on the international law and basic norms governing international relations, and seek to turn back the wheel of history. Such attempts will not succeed,” he added.

The DPP authorities and some countries claim that Taiwan’s absence from the WHA will cause a "gap" in global anti-epidemic efforts and use it as an excuse to demand ‘Taiwan’s meaningful participation’ in the WHO, Wang said. "That’s a politically-driven and completely false claim."

The Chinese Central Government has made proper arrangement for the Taiwan region’s participation in global health affairs on the condition that the one-China principle is upheld, he said, adding that over the past year alone, medical and technical experts from China’s Taiwan region applied for participation in WHO technical activities 21 times, which involved 24 participants, and all the applications were approved by the Chinese Central Government.

“There is an International Health Regulations Contact Point in the Taiwan region for it to promptly access and report to the WHO concerning information related to health emergencies. Facts fully reflect that the Chinese Central Government has every sincerity and has taken credible and active measures to address the health issues that our compatriots in Taiwan care about, and that their rights to health are duly protected,” the spokesperson stressed.

Wang concluded that the one-China principle is where global opinion trends and the arc of history bends. China’s decision of not letting the Taiwan region participate in this year’s WHA has received wide support and understanding from the international community.

“Any attempt to play the “Taiwan card” and use Taiwan to contain China will only be met with firm opposition from the international community and is doomed to failure,” he said.