BEIJING, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said Friday that Taiwan is not eligible to become a member or observer of the World Health Organization (WHO).

    "The WHO is a special institution of the United Nations, which can be joined in only by sovereign states," Liu said.

    China is a WHO member state, and Taiwan is part of China. Taiwan is not eligible to become a WHO member or observer, he added.

    The World Health Assembly has for nine consecutive times rejected the proposals schemed by a small number of countries to make Taiwan attend the assembly as an observer, Liu said.

    "It indicates that the international community has a definite and extensive consensus on this issue," the spokesman said.

    China's central government has valued and safeguarded the health welfare of the Taiwan people and made efforts to promote health exchanges across the Taiwan Straits, Liu said.

    In 2005, the Ministry of Health and the WHO Secretariat signed a memorandum of understanding on Taiwan health and medical experts' participation in WHO technical activities. Over the past year, Taiwan health and medical experts have for several times attended WHO technical activities, he said.

    There are channels for Taiwan to acquire health technology information, and there are no "loopholes" in international disease prevention and control, Liu said.

    While putting forward Taiwan-related proposals at the world health assemblies, the Taiwan authorities actually conducted political moves with the excuse of health issues in an effort to serve the "Taiwan independence" secessionist activities, Liu said.

    "Such a political attempt will not succeed," the spokesman said.

    A Taiwan-related proposal was put forward at the ongoing World Health Assembly in Geneva. Enditem