China ties likely to deteriorate after WHO Taipei snub

TAIPEI: The deadline for online registration to attend an annual meeting of the decision-making body of the World Health Organisation (WHO) passed yesterday, without any invitation to Taiwan, a situation that is expected to further worsen relations between the self-ruled island and China.

President Tsai Ing-wen has said that whether Taiwan receives an invitation to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA), scheduled to take place on May 22-31 in Geneva, is an important indicator of ties between Taiwan and China.

Authorities said they have not given up hope that Taiwan would receive an invitation before the meeting begins.

China, which has regarded Taiwan as a renegade province awaiting reunification, has made it clear that Taiwan’s participation in any international organisations must be arranged under the “one China” principle through bilateral negotiations.

Yet, one month after Ms Tsai took office in May last year, Beijing unilaterally suspended official contacts with Taiwan. Ms Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has traditionally been more sceptical of closer ties with China.

After the deadline passed, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council issued a statement expressing “strong displeasure” and accusing China of applying political pressure to the WHA to exclude Taiwan.

The council said if the WHO body eventually caves in to Beijing’s pressure, it is bound to hurt the feelings of people in Taiwan.

“With the people of Taiwan behind us, we will not bow to Beijing’s pressure,” it said, adding that Beijing should take Taiwanese public opinion seriously and the potential consequences of continuing to squeeze Taiwan’s “international space”.

The Foreign Ministry issued a separate statement, urging the WHA to pay attention to Taiwan’s long-term contribution the world’s public health and disease-fighting efforts. It said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung is planning lead Taiwan’s delegation to the WHA.

Mr Chen has said that Taiwan will still send a delegation to the Swiss city even if it does not receive an invitation to participate in the gathering.

A spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office under the State Council said Monday that only when Taiwan’s DPP-led government recognises the political foundation of the “1992 consensus” can the institutionalised negotiations between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits be resumed and talks take place about Taiwan’s participation in international organisations.

Taiwan received an invitation to attend last year’s WHA on the final day of online registration, but was not provided with the account number and password. It had to ask its representative office in Geneva to complete the registration process.

The invitation, coming just two weeks before the meeting began and about 10 days before Ms Tsai took her oath of office, was seen by critics as petty manoeuvring to embarrass the newly elected administration.

Unlike invitations received in previous years, last year’s invite was made in line with the “one-China principle” as reflected in the UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1.