Release Date: February 6, 2020
MAC Press Release No. 18
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today (February 6, 2020) sternly protested against the false statement made by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the People’s Republic of China’s State Council in regard to the exclusion of Taiwan from the World Health Organization (WHO) based on its unilateral political claims.
1. Taiwan has long sought to join the WHO but has repeatedly been unreasonably suppressed by mainland China. Despite the severe Wuhan-centered coronavirus outbreak, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has again resorted to political tactics to prevent our allies from voicing support for Taiwan's participation in the WHO at this year’s Executive Board meeting and exclude Taiwan experts from participating in the WHO emergency expert committee meeting convened to discuss the Wuhan pneumonia epidemic situation. The Beijing authorities have also misquoted the United Nations General Assembly and WHO resolutions and linked them to its unilaterally established "one China principle." These political maneuvers clearly violate the WHO Charter and principles of international relations.
2. The Republic of China (ROC) is a sovereign state. Taiwan has never been part of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and cannot be represented by the CCP regime. The WHO is a non-political organization seeking the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. It should not serve Beijing's political will alone. The Beijing authorities’ denigration of Taiwan under the International Health Regulations (IHR) has prevented Taiwan from obtaining timely and adequate information on global epidemic prevention. Their suppressive actions have also led to an extremely low participation in the WHO technical meetings and in turn deprived Taiwan's 23 million people of their rights. The CCP's claim that proper arrangements have been made for Taiwan are inconsistent with the facts and is likely to further create gaps in global epidemic prevention and imperil public health. The victim is the international community, including the people of mainland China.
3. Health and safety are universal values. The notification and cooperation arrangements made under cross-Strait agreements do not obviate the need for Taiwan to participate in the WHO. The CCP authorities should not put political factors above human health and safety. The CCP's claim of so-called "attempts to exploit the epidemic for seeking independence" is an overstating move to shirk responsibility and shift focus. This does not help improve cross-Strait relations. The MAC admonished sternly the other side of the Strait to immediately stop its political interference over Taiwan's participation in the WHO and the sharing of information on epidemics. Disease prevention and humanitarian considerations must come first whereas related problems can only be dealt with through cross-Strait cooperation and dialogue. The ROC government will actively seek cooperation with all parties of the international community in its continuous commitment to medical and health safety.