MEP welcomes breakthrough in China-Taiwan dispute

Graham Watson, leader of the ALDE group in parliament, has welcomed apparent efforts by China to include Taiwan’s participation in international organizations.

The move comes after it emerged that Beijing has entered into talks with Taipei on the issue of Taiwan’s representation in the World Health Assembly (WHA).

China’s president Hu Jintao said his country was willing to make necessary arrangements to negotiate with Taiwan on increasing its participation in international organizations.

This was conditional, he said, on Taipei agreeing not to use the principles of “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan”.

Graham Watson, leader of the ALDE group in parliament, welcomed the move, saying, “This is good news. Anything which involves Taiwan in the international community – of which it is clearly a part – has to be welcomed as a good and positive step forward.”

Watson, a member of parliament’s Taiwan friendship group, was in Taipei shortly before Christmas for talks with senior officials, including President Hu, and has lobbied in the past for Taiwanese participation in organizations such as the WHO and UN.

It is believed China may agree to let Taiwan participate in the WHA – the World Health Organization’s top decision-making body – as an observer under the name of “Chinese Taipei”.

Last year, Taiwan applied for full WHO membership as “Taiwan” for the first time, but the bid failed again due to opposition from Beijing. Since 1997, Taiwan has tried, without success, to gain entry to the WHA as an observer under its official title, the Republic of China.

China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and is not a sovereign state as required for WHO membership.

Since elections in Taiwan last May, relations between Beijing and Taipei have improved and the Chinese president has said several times that the issue of Taiwan’s attendance at the WHA can be discussed.

Taiwan insists that its participation in the WHA is essential in allowing it to play a full role in tackling global health issues, such as avian flu.

Several influential MEPs, including parliament’s vice president Edward McMillan-Scott, have endorsed Taiwan’s participation in the past although, officially, the EU still sticks by its support of the so-called one China policy.

The issue will again come under the spotlight when the WHA holds its annual conference in Geneva in May.

A Taiwanese government spokesman said that given the improved cross-strait relations it is hoped that progress will be made regarding Taiwan's participation at the WHA.

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