World Health Assembly again rejects Taiwan-related proposal

China

World Health Assembly again rejects Taiwan-related proposal

2025-05-20 11:15 Last Updated At：19:27

The World Health Assembly (WHA), the highest decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), on Monday decided not to include in its agenda a so-called proposal on Taiwan's participation in the annual assembly as an observer.

In response to the 78th WHA's decision on certain countries' so-called proposal of "inviting Taiwan to participate in the WHA as an observer," Chen Xu, permanent representative of China to the United Nations (UN) Office at Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland, stated in his speech at the assembly that UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 and World Health Assembly Resolution 25.1 have long since resolved the issue of China's representation, including Taiwan, in a comprehensive and conclusive manner.

"The 1943 Cairo Declaration clearly stated that all the territories Japan has stolen from China, including Taiwan, shall be restored to China, which was reaffirmed in the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation. In the 1970s, United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 and World Health Assembly Resolution 25.1 explicitly recognized the representatives of the Government of the People's Republic of China as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations," Chen said in an interview on Monday. He said that the WHA has, for consecutive years, rejected so-called Taiwan-related proposals, thereby upholding the authority of the UN and the post-war international order.

"The decision of this year's WHA sends a strong signal: Upholding the one-China principle reflects the will of the people and the trend of the times. It is a powerful rebuttal to the Taiwan authorities and the political manipulation by a few countries. For years, under the one-China principle, the Chinese central government has made proper arrangements for Taiwan's participation in global health affairs. Taiwan experts have full access to global health information and can share local experiences and practices externally. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' so-called claim of a 'gap in [global] anti-epidemic efforts' is nothing but a politically-driven lie, aimed at using health as a pretext to seek separatism," said Chen.

Facts have proven that the path of Taiwan separatism is a dead end, he added.

The WHA is typically held every May in Geneva. Its main responsibilities include setting organizational policies and reviewing and approving the program budget. This year's Assembly is scheduled to conclude on May 27.

Creative cities dialog opens in Wuxi

Delegates from member cities of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) gathered in Wuxi, east China's Jiangsu Province, on Friday, for a dialog to explore how cultural creativity can help drive sustainable urban and industrial development.

Running through Saturday, the event has brought together representatives from more than 10 cities across over 10 countries, including France and Spain.

Wuxi joined the network last October as "Creative City of Music." Jiangsu Province now has five cities included in the UCCN.

The network aims to promote cooperation among cities that identify creativity and culture for key factor of urban development.

"It's also a way for cities to demonstrate what they are doing in terms of strategies, in terms of initiatives, in terms of policies at a local level, how they can use culture and creativity to build more resilient, safe, inclusive, and culturally cities," said Denise Bax, secretary of the UCCN.

Representatives from other "Cities of Music" around the world shared their thoughts on how music could be further integrated into local development and international cooperation.

"A lot of students are from China in our conservatory, and I think that this is one of the first steps that we can connect with Wuxi. Then we are interested to learn the strategy of Wuxi and most of all in involving young generation in the music, creativity, and public policy about music and creativity," said Daniele Vimini, vice mayor of Italy's Pesaro.

Established in 2004, the UCCN aims to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development. So far, the network includes 408 cities from more than 100 countries.