WHO members reject proposal to invite Taiwan to participate in annual assembly

GENEVA, May 18 (Reuters) - Member ‌states of ​the ​World Health Organization on Monday rejected a proposal to invite Taiwan to its annual assembly in ‌Geneva after China said it would block its participation.

During ⁠the meeting, which started on Monday, China took to the floor, ‌alongside Pakistan, to oppose the ‌motion. The assembly accepted Taiwan's exclusion.

“China does not agree to the participation of China's Taiwan region in the ​World Health Assembly in any form,” a Chinese delegate told member states.

Palau, which was among a number of ⁠countries supporting a proposal to include Taiwan as an observer in the WHA, told ​delegates Taiwan's exclusion was unjustified and risked weakening global disease surveillance and information sharing.

“Global health governance ​cannot afford gaps, excluding any capable ‌and responsible partner, including Taiwan, creates precisely such a gap,” the delegate from Palau said.

Taiwan ⁠is excluded from most international organisations because of objections from Beijing, which considers the democratically governed island its territory.

Taiwan's foreign minister ⁠announced his arrival on Sunday in Switzerland for events on the sidelines ​of the WHO meeting.

Taiwan attended the World Health Assembly as an observer from 2009 to 2016 under the administration of then-President Ma Ying-jeou, ‌who signed landmark trade and tourism pacts with China.

But Beijing began blocking Taiwan's participation in ‌2017, after then-President Tsai Ing-wen won office, for her refusal ⁠to agree to its ‌position that both ​China and Taiwan were part of "one China".

(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin, Editing by Friederike Heine and Chiara ‌Rodriquez)

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