WHA move shows 'mainland's goodwill'

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-05-01 08:42

The Chinese mainland had shown sincerity and goodwill by allowing Taiwan to participate in the World Health Assemble (WHA), an official said in Beijing on Thursday.

The invitation indicated that the Chinese mainland attached great importance to the health of the Taiwan people, a State Council Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman said.

It also demonstrated sincerity in pushing forward the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations, the official told Xinhua.

A child looks at a mask at a market in Taipei on Thursday. The Chinese island province said it would produce at least 200,000 doses of a new vaccine against the strain of swine flu virus. [AFP]

The Ministry of Health confirmed on Wednesday that the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Margaret Chan had invited the Department of Health, Chinese Taipei, to attend, as an observer, the assembly that is scheduled to run from May 18 to 27.

The spokesman confirmed that the invitation had been accepted.

The WHA is the supreme decision-making body for the WHO. It is usually attended by delegates from all 193 members in Geneva each May.

The spokesman said the mainland and Taiwan had recently exchanged views and consultation on the island's participation in the WHA.

In 2005, the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Taiwan's Kuomintang Party released a joint document proposing to discuss Taiwan's participation in international activities during efforts to resume cross-Straits dialogue, in which Taiwan's involvement in WHO activities would be a priority.

On Dec 31, at a high-level seminar commemorating the 30th anniversary of the publication of the mainland's "Message to Compatriots in Taiwan", Hu Jintao, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, offered proposals to promote the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations.

Hu said the mainland was willing to discuss with Taiwan "proper and reasonable arrangements" for Taiwan's participation in the activities of international organizations, as long as such activities would not create any scenario of "two Chinas" or "one China and one Taiwan."

Cross-Straits relations had embraced a "hard-won" opportunity since last year, the spokesman said, adding: "The two sides have properly settled Taiwan's participation in the WHA through down-to-earth consultations in line with the spirit of building mutual trust, laying aside disputes, seeking consensus and shelving differences, and jointly creating a win-win situation."

Meanwhile, Taiwan's leader Ma Ying-jeou said on Thursday that the island's newly acquired observer status in a UN health body would help it combat swine flu.

Ma said that Taiwan "will be able to get information and resources from WHA" on the swine flu issue.

Xinhua