GENEVA, May 14 (Xinhuanet) -- The 54th World Health Assembly (WHA)
Monday turned down a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate in
the assembly as an observer and decided by consensus to exclude
the Taiwan issue from the meeting agenda.
  Speaking at the General Council meeting and the opening plenary
session of the WHA, Chinese Deputy Health Minister Peng Yu said
that China was strongly opposed to the proposal tabled by Honduras
and a few other countries.  
  Peng said that similar proposals had been raised in the
previous four years and were rejected by the assembly which showed
that the majority of the WHO member states remained opposed to
such proposals.
  She pointed out that the U.N. General Assembly resolution 2758
(1971) and the WHA resolution 25.1 (1972) had provided once for
all a solution to the issue of representation of China in both the
United Nations and WHO.
  She said that Taiwan, as a province of China, has no
qualification to participate in WHO activities in any manner or
whatever name or to attend the WHA in any name.
  "The Taiwan issue is an internal affair of China," she stressed.
"It should and must be resolved by the Chinese people. No foreign
country has the right to meddle or interfere. Any proposal to
include Taiwan into WHO activities for whatever reason or in
whatever name is politically motivated with the aim to create 'two
Chinas' or 'One China, One Taiwan'."    
  "Such an act constitutes an encroachment upon China's
sovereignty and territorial integrity and it is an interference
into China's internal affairs, which can not be accepted by the
Chinese government and People," said Peng.
  Talking about the health issue of people living in Taiwan, Peng
said that the Chinese government has always been attaching great
importance to protecting the legitimate rights and interests of
the Taiwan compatriots. Taiwan compatriots like Chinese people in
the rest of the country are entitled to all services provided by
WHO.
  The WHA is WHO's highest governing body and holds annual
meetings among the 191 member states. The 54th WHA takes place
this year from May 14 to 22 in Geneva.  Enditem