The General Committee of the 63rd session of the UN General Assembly decided on Wednesday not to include the so-called issue of "Taiwan's participation in the activities of United Nations specialized agencies," submitted by Nauru, Gambia and a very few other countries, into the agenda of the General Assembly.

"There is only one China in the world. The United Nations and the vast majority of its member states all adhere to the one China principle," China's UN Ambassador Wang Guangya said at the meeting of the General Committee.

"UN specialized agencies have all resolved the issue of China's representation in the United Nations in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and Resolution 2758," he said.

"People on both sides of the Taiwan Strait share the same blood and destiny. In the wake of the massive earthquake that struck Wenchuan in May, our Taiwan compatriots offered generous contribution and selfless assistance for disaster relief. This deeply moved everyone and gave full expression to the saying that 'blood' is thicker than water," he said.

Wang noted that at present, cross-Strait relations have shown a good momentum of improvement and development.

"We hope people across the Strait will work together, on the basis of the one China principle, to create conditions for resumption of consultation and negotiations so as to resolve in a pragmatic manner various concerns of the Taiwan compatriots, including giving priority to discussion of their participation in WHO (World Health Organization) activities," he said.

"We firmly believe that the prospect of peaceful development of cross-Strait relations is in the hands of people on both sides of the Strait. So long as the two sides bear in mind the well-being of people across the Strait and the overall interests of the entire Chinese nation, and act in a spirit of 'building mutual trust, putting aside differences, seeking common ground and striving for a win-win result,' we will surely find an appropriate solution through consultation," Wang added.

(Xinhua News Agency September 18, 2008)