WE note the letter (May 20) from the Taipei Representative Office in the UK. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is a specialised agency of the United Nations and an international organisation consisting of sovereign countries which follow the one-China principle. Since Taiwan is part of China, its participation in international organisations should be handled with the one-China principle.

From 2009 to 2016, the central government of China agreed to let the Taiwan region attend the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer in the name of "Chinese Taipei" for eight consecutive years, a special arrangement made on the premise of the one-China principle after consensus had been reached through cross-Straits consultations.

Since coming into power in the Taiwan region, the current Taiwan authority has refused to recognise the one-China principle, undermining the political basis of the cross-Straits relations, making the cross-Straits contact and communication mechanism come to a standstill. As a result, the political basis of the Taiwan region's participation in the WHA has ceased to exist while it is impossible to carry out any cross-Straits consultations for the special arrangement any more. Only when the one-China principle is reaffirmed can the regular cross-Straits contacts be continued and the cross-Straits consultations conducted regarding the attendance of the Taiwan region at the WHA.

However, within the framework of the International Health Regulations (2005), there are unimpeded channels and sound mechanism for Taiwan to exchange information with the WHO and countries around the world. Experts from Taiwan can participate in WHO-related technical meetings while the WHO may also send experts to Taiwan for guidance when needed. These arrangements ensure timely and effective responses from Taiwan in case of public health emergencies either in Taiwan or in other places around the world.

Lyu Yanxia,

Spokesperson for the Chinese Consulate General in Edinburgh,

55 Corstorphine Road, Edinburgh.