China firmly opposes the practice of a few countries, including the Solomon Islands, to move any Taiwan-related motion to the World Health Organization (WHO) conference, said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Monday.

Commenting on the recent request by Solomon Islands and a few countries to invite Taiwan to attend the WHO conference as an observer, spokesman Liu Jianchao said it lacks any legal foundation to move any motion concerning Taiwan at the WHO conference, and the Chinese government firmly opposes such move.

Liu said the WHO is a specialized agency of the United Nations and only sovereign states are eligible to apply for membership. The WHO conference is the WHO's supreme power organization.

According to WHO's rules and regulations, Taiwan, as a part of China, is not eligible to participate in the WHO or attend the WHO conference as an observer, Liu said.

He said that the Chinese central government has been always concerned over the well-being and the right of health of the Taiwan people, and has promoted the exchanges on health across the straits to help Taiwan acquire the relevant information.

Liu noted that with the permission of the Chinese central government, experts from the WHO have been to Taiwan several times to learn about the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and other epidemics there, and the Taiwan experts have also participated in the WHO special meetings on SARS and cancer.

Facts show that Taiwan has a smooth channel to get health information, he said, adding that the Chinese central government had expressed welcome for Taiwan health experts to join the Chinese delegation to present at the WHO conference, but it is a pity that the Taiwan authorities had no response.

This demonstrates that the real purpose of the Taiwan authorities is to use the health issue to create "two Chinas", and" one China, one Taiwan" within the WHO to achieve its attempt at the "Taiwan Independence", which can not succeed, Liu said.

(Xinhua News Agency May 10, 2004)