Geneva: A proposal by Taiwan's diplomatic allies to include Taiwan in this year's World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, marking the ninth consecutive year that Taipei has been absent from the annual global health meeting.

According to Focus Taiwan, the WHA, which serves as the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), commenced its annual meeting on Monday morning in Geneva. The first agenda item was a "two-on-two debate" on a proposal to allow Taiwan to participate in the WHA as an observer. As in previous years, two countries supported the proposal while two opposed it, leading to a familiar outcome.

Teodoro Herbosa, President of the 78th WHA, accepted the recommendation from the WHA General Committee to exclude the proposal from the meeting agenda, resulting in Taiwan's continued exclusion from the WHA.

Chen Xu, China's permanent representative to the U.N. office in Geneva, cited U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1 to argue that China fully represents Taiwan, and that Taiwan's participation is an interference in China's internal affairs. Zaman Mehdi, Pakistan's deputy permanent representative, supported China's "one China principle" and its sovereignty.

Conversely, Belize and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, two of Taiwan's 12 diplomatic allies, challenged China's interpretation of UNGA Resolution 2758, shifting their focus from Taiwan's public health contributions. The resolution, which led to Taiwan's exit from the WHO in 1972, does not mention Taiwan, they argued.

Belize's Health Minister Kevin Bernard stated that the resolutions do not justify Taiwan's exclusion or give China the right to represent the Taiwanese people. St. Clair Prince of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines noted that Taiwan was previously invited as an observer from 2009 to 2016, but this was discontinued for political reasons.

Since 1972, Taiwan has largely been excluded from the WHA due to Beijing's pressure, except for a period from 2009 to 2015 when it attended as "Chinese Taipei." Health Minister Chiu Tai-yuan is expected to submit a formal protest to the WHO.

In response to the decision, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned China and Pakistan's opposition, stating it neglects the basic rights of Taiwan's people to engage in international affairs.