Posted on 02/29/2020 7:57:32 PM PST by SeekAndFind
As the coronavirus outbreak hastens its global spread, the United States has reiterated its support for Taiwan participating in the World Health Organization (WHO).
Taiwan for years has been barred from obtaining observer-status at the WHO because of the Chinese regime’s objections. Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, the self-ruled island has further protested its exclusion from the U.N.’s health agency, saying this was hampering global efforts to contain the disease.
“This COVID-19 outbreak only further underlines the unacceptability of Taiwan being excluded from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Health Assembly because the People’s Republic of China blocks every attempt to do so,” Jonathan Fritz, deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Feb. 27.
“We continue to push back very, very hard against that with as many of our like-minded partners as possible, and I think our argument is only bolstered now by the outbreak,” Fritz added.
The Chinese regime considers Taiwan as part of its territory and has worked to block the island’s membership in many international bodies. Democratically-governed Taiwan says that it is separate from the communist regime and should thus have separate representation in international fora.
Taiwan, which has 34 confirmed cases of the virus, has been excluded from taking part in meetings about the outbreak held by the WHO Emergency Committee. But in a small diplomatic breakthrough, it was recently allowed to participate in an online technical meeting on the virus.
The WHO also groups Taiwan’s virus cases with China’s, so the island is thus classified by the agency as “very high risk.” As a result, some countries have imposed travel curbs for arrivals who have visited the island, prompting protests from Taiwan.
(Excerpt) Read more at theepochtimes.com ...
This is good. Trump admin stands up for what’s right and in this case even more - what will help keep us safe.
Actually Taiwan, so far, is doing pretty good regarding this virus. Buy NOT being briefed by the official spokes-agency for China (the WHO), they had to be conservative and play it safe...since they didn’t have the ‘official’ propaganda, I mean information.
Working out good, so far.
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