Yet another botched plot

Point of view

- Counselor Ji Lingpeng is the spokesman of the Chinese embassy in the Philippines.

In his recent article published across several local newspapers advocating for participation of China's Taiwan region in the World Health Assembly (WHA), Mr. Wallace Minn-Gan Chow, Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines, failed to make a case.

His argument is riddled with factual inaccuracies and logical fallacies. His attempt only undermined the integrity of the broader public health dialogue — especially on the eve of the 78th WHA on May 19 which once again firmly rejected the so-called proposal to "invite Taiwan to participate in the WHA as an observer" — the ninth consecutive year such a proposal is turned down. This stands as the most fitting response to Mr. Chow's article, reflects the clear stance of the international community and marks yet another failure by the "Taiwan independence" forces in their continued attempt to exploit the WHA as a platform for separatist theatrics.

By exposing Mr. Chow's misrepresentation of key facts, I seek to uncover the fallacies underlying his argument.

His article alleges that Taiwan remains excluded from the international health system due to China's obstruction.

Fact: Taiwan is a part of China. The position of the Chinese government on the Taiwan region's participation in international organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), is consistent and unequivocal: such matters must be handled in accordance with the one-China principle. This principle is firmly upheld by United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1.