China has announced it will not permit Taiwan to participate in next week’s World Health Organization annual assembly, while Taiwan says it will still send a delegation to hold side meetings and attend events outside the official proceedings.
Beijing maintains that the People’s Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing the whole country and has long objected to Taiwan’s inclusion in most international organisations. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiankun said Beijing’s decision was intended to uphold the One China principle and preserve the authority of relevant U.N. General Assembly and WHA resolutions.
Taiwan, a democratic island of 23 million people, is typically excluded from global bodies because of Beijing’s objections. It attended the WHO’s World Health Assembly as an observer between 2009 and 2016 under then‑president Ma Ying‑jeou. Participation was blocked from 2017 after Tsai Ing‑wen became president because she would not accept Beijing’s position that both sides belong to a single China. President Lai Ching‑te has continued that stance.
Taiwan’s Health Minister Shih Chung‑liang called it a “shame” that the island was not invited, given pressing global health challenges, and said Taiwan should be proactive rather than absent. Shih said he would lead a delegation to Geneva to take part in separate events and meet with international health experts; Foreign Minister Lin Chia‑lung said he was considering joining the trip.
Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims and says China has no right to speak for or represent its people. The dispute highlights ongoing tensions over Taiwan’s international space and the limits placed on its formal participation in multilateral forums.
