World Health Assembly rejects Taiwan-related proposal for 10th consecutive year

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World Health Assembly rejects Taiwan-related proposal for 10th consecutive year

2026-05-19 01:52 Last Updated At：13:41

The 79th 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.

This marks the 10th consecutive year that the WHA has rejected such a Taiwan-related proposal.

Addressing the assembly, Jia Guide, China's permanent representative and ambassador to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland, reiterated that there is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China.

Jia said that the issue regarding the Taiwan region's participation in the WHA must be handled in accordance with the one-China principle as affirmed by the UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 and the WHA Resolution 25.1.

Jia said that due to the stubborn adherence to the persistent separatist stance of Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities, the political foundation for the Taiwan region to participate in the WHA no longer exists.

Prior to the opening of this year's WHA, the overwhelming majority of countries in the international community have reiterated to China their firm support for the one-China principle and their opposition to Taiwan's participation in the WHA, Jia noted.

Jia emphasized that the so-called claim of a "gap in the international epidemic prevention system" is sheer nonsense.

China's central government has always attached great importance to the well-being of Taiwan compatriots and has made proper arrangements for the Taiwan region's participation in technical activities of the WHO on the premise of adhering to the one-China principle, he added.

Jia said the Taiwan-related proposal severely violates the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

In order to pursue their own political interests, the separatist forces in the Taiwan region have instigated certain countries to put forward the Taiwan-related proposal to engage in Taiwan secessionist activities at the WHA, Jia said.

Such acts are doomed to gain no support and will inevitably end in failure, he added.

China records ten consecutive quarters of trade growth with ASEAN

China has recorded ten consecutive quarters of growth in imports and exports with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the data for the second quarter of this year from the General Administration of Customs GAC) showed on Tuesday.

China's trade with ASEAN reached 4.34 trillion yuan (about 640 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half of 2026, marking an 18.2-percent increase compared to the same period of last year, according to GAC.

"In the first half of this year, China's imports and exports with ASEAN stood at 4.34 trillion yuan, up 18.2 percent year on year on. Of this total, imports and exports in the second quarter accounted for 2.37 trillion yuan which represented a year-on-year growth of 20.2 percent and marking the 10th consecutive quarter of growth.," said Lyu Daliang, a spokesman for the customs bureau, at a press briefing.

"China and ASEAN have continuously strengthened infrastructure connectivity. In the first half of the year, China's imports and exports with ASEAN via the new western land-sea corridor grew by 18.2 percent, with railway and highway transport increasing by 24.7 percent and 17.5 percent, respectively," Lyu said.

Established in 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Timor-Leste.