Chinese vice premier meets Tedros during World Health Assembly
發佈日期: 2025-05-20 20:43
TVB News
Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong met the head of the World Health Organization during this year's World Health Assembly where member states adopted an intensely negotiated pandemic agreement.
The 78th session of the World Health Assembly convened in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday, bringing together delegates under the theme "One World for Health."
The Assembly is the highest decision-making body of the World Health Organization.
Addressing the event, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on countries to stay focused on shared goals amid global uncertainty.
The central item on the agenda is the vital pandemic preparedness accord.
"At this Assembly, Member States will consider, and hopefully adopt, the WHO Pandemic Agreement. This is truly a historic moment," Tedros said.
This legally binding global health treaty is the result of three years of negotiations, with the aim of preventing another fragmented response like that seen during the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak.
It was officially adopted on Tuesday following a final vote by 124 nations.
Stripped of U.S. funding, Tedros talked about the organization's financial strain characterised by a 21 percent budget cut, and he appealed to member states to support a "modest" budget plan for the 2026-27 biennium.
"We are not naive to that challenge, but for an organisation working on the ground in 150 countries, with the vast mission and mandate that member states have given us, 4.2 billion dollars for two years, or 2.1 billion a year, is not ambitious, it's extremely modest."
Vice Premier Liu Guozhong expressed China's unswerving support for the WHO's leadership and coordination in global health governance during his meeting with Tedros.
Liu said it is hoped the WHO can uphold an impartial stance and safeguard the scientific integrity and seriousness in its COVID-19 origin-tracing research.
Tedros welcomed Liu's attendance at the event and said the organisation is willing to deepen cooperation with China in various fields.
They later witnessed the signing of agreements between the WHO and China's National Health Commission and National Healthcare Security Administration.
For the ninth consecutive year, the World Health Assembly turned down a so-called proposal on Taiwan's participation in the annual assembly as an observer.
A spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry in Beijing said Taiwan's participation in the activities of international organizations must be handled in line with the one-China policy, which is also a fundamental principle demonstrated by United Nations and WHA resolutions.
He stressed China's Taiwan region, unless given approval by the central government, has no basis, reason or right to participate in the WHA.
The Taiwan Affairs Office said the recent decision by the WHA once again proved the one-China principle is a universal consensus among the international community.
The Office further stated the mainland will make proper arrangements to make sure the Taiwan region can access global information on epidemic prevention and control in real time.
