Date: May 22, 2017
MAC Press Release No. 36
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) issued the following solemn statement on May 22, 2017, regarding a letter sent by the mainland Chinese delegation to the delegations of other countries to obstruct and belittle Taiwan's participation in this year's World Health Assembly (WHA) and improper statements by mainland Chinese officials:
1. Taiwan's past participation in the WHA as an observer was based on the joint efforts of the government and civil sectors of Taiwan over the years and the affirmation and support of the international community for Taiwan's strengths in health care and contribution to global epidemic prevention. It is not based on the "one China" principle as mainland China declares. The Mainland's statements ignore of the facts and confuse international perception.
2. The R.O.C. government has never accepted the "one China" principle advocated by mainland China. The MAC again strongly protested and expressed deep dissatisfaction over the pressure exerted by mainland China on various countries and the World Health Organization (WHO) to obstruct Taiwan's participation in this year's WHA, the belittling of Taiwan's sovereign position by using the term "Taiwan, Province of China," and violation of freedom of press by preventing Taiwan's journalists from reporting at the WHA.
3. The Mainland must face the fact that the R.O.C. is a sovereign country. The government of Taiwan alone bears responsibility for the health of the 23 million people of Taiwan. Beijing's exclusion of Taiwan on political grounds not only violates the WHO charter, but also deprives the people of Taiwan of their fundamental rights. Mainland China can never achieve its political aims by pressuring the R.O.C. government. We call on mainland China to seriously reflect and stop taking negative actions against Taiwan. Repeatedly disregarding the right of the people of Taiwan to participate in the international community will only cause cross-Strait relations to drift further apart.