One-China principle in WHA "unquestionable": spokesman

BEIJING - The authority of the one-China principle in the World Health Assembly (WHA) Resolution is "unquestionable," a Chinese mainland spokesman said on Wednesday.

Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks at a press conference in response to a question about comments from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of Taiwan insisting that Taiwan's participation in the WHA has nothing to do with the one-China principle.

The DPP also claimed that linking the principle to the island's WHA participation is an "interference" from the mainland.

The one-China principle has been widely recognized among the international community and is also reflected in the UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1, Ma said, noting that the authority of the principle is "unquestionable."

It is also a matter of course for the World Health Organization (WHO), as a UN specialized agency, to reiterate this principle, Ma said.

The spokesman said that since 2008, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have improved mutual political trust by adhering to the "1992 Consensus."

Taiwan's participation in the WHA since 2009 has been a special arrangement based on the one-China principle, Ma said.

However, the spokesman added, if the established principle is challenged, the arrangement will become unsustainable.