In the early morning of May 18th, the 57th World Health Assembly (WHA) adopted a proposal of the General Committee with an overwhelming majority to refuse the proposal put forward by the Solomon Islands and a few other countries to "invite Taiwan to participate in the WHA as an observer". It was the eighth successive rejection by the WHA to such proposals since 1997.
The WHO is a specialized agency of the United Nations and only sovereign states can join it. According to the Constitution of WHO and Rules of Procedure of WHA, Taiwan, as part of China, is not eligible to participate in the WHO in any name or attend the WHA as an observer.
For a long time, China's Central Government has always cared for the well-being and right of health of the Taiwan compatriots, and has actively promoted cooperation in the medical and health field across the Taiwan Straits. The channel for exchanges between WHO experts and Taiwan has been smooth.
A handful of countries instigated by the Taiwan authorities and ignoring their failure in the past years, have insisted on putting forward proposals concerning Taiwan at the WHA. Such a behavior, which is against the relevant resolutions by the United Nations General Assembly and the WHA and against the purposes and principles of the WHO, has seriously disturbed the normal operation of the WHA. It is natural that the behavior has been rejected by the member states. Facts have proven that any attempt by the Taiwan authorities to create "two Chinas" and "one China, one Taiwan" in the World Health Organization is doomed to failure.