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Taipei (AFP) May 9, 2011 Taiwan said Monday it would protest to the World Health Organization after the body allegedly told its officials to refer to the island as a province of China, highlighting a decades-old sovereignty dispute. "We'll launch a protest to the WHO authorities through the foreign ministry's liaison office in Geneva," government spokesman Philip Yang told reporters. His comments came after Kuan Pi-ling, a lawmaker of the main anti-China opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), released what she said was an internal WHO document obtained from an international organisation. The memorandum allegedly said WHO communications "must use the terminology 'the Taiwan Province of China'" when referring to Taiwan. "Information related to the Taiwan Province of China must be listed or shown as falling under China and not separately as if they referred to a state," the memorandum was reported to say. Taiwan's foreign ministry issued a statement saying "the political position displayed in the document is by no means acceptable". China still regards Taiwan part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary. It opposes Taiwan participation in -- or attendance at -- international organisations even though the island has ruled itself since a split in 1949 at the end of a civil war. Ties between the two former rivals have improved markedly since Ma Ying-jeou of the China-friendly Kuomintang came to power in 2008, beefing up trade links and allowing in more Chinese tourists to visit the island. This is believed to have enabled Taiwan to be invited in 2009 to attend the annual meeting of of the World Health Assembly, the highest decision-making body of WHO, in the name of Chinese Taipei. Ma has repeatedly hailed the island's participation in the international gathering over the past three years, saying that it was made possible by his detente with China.
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China rescue ship makes historic Taiwan visitTaipei (AFP) May 1, 2011 A Chinese official rescue ship has arrived in Taiwan, making it the first government-owned vessel of its kind to visit the island in more than 60 years, an official said Sunday. In the latest sign of warming ties between Taiwan and its former bitter rival China, the 5,000-tonne Dong Hai Jiu 113 sailed from China's southeastern Fujian province to the island's central Taichung harbour Saturday ... read more |
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