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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》Taiwan’s WHO exclusion costly for world: US report
A tweet posted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu in response to one posted by the US House of Representatives’ Committee on Foreign Affairs is displayed on the ministry’s Twitter page yesterday. Photo: Screen grab from Twitter
‘CRITICAL DELAYS’: Had the WHO not ignored Taiwan, countries could have had better information, the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission said
By Lu Yi-hsuan and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer and Reuters
Lives have been lost in the COVID-19 pandemic because of the WHO’s exclusion of Taiwan, and its refusal to allow it to share best practices and information, a top US government commission on China said in a new report.
The US has repeatedly clashed with China over its refusal to allow non-WHO member Taiwan full access to the global body, becoming another source of rising tensions between Washington and Beijing.
Taiwan says China and the WHO have conspired for political purposes to lock it out of key meetings, that the global health body has not responded to its requests for information on the novel coronavirus and that it has previously misreported Taiwan’s virus case numbers.
The WHO and China have disputed the claim, saying that Taiwan has been given all the help it needs, but that only Beijing has the right to represent Taiwan in the global organization.
In a report released on Tuesday, the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission said Taiwan’s exclusion contributed to “critical delays” in timely receipt and accurate guidance for WHO members in the early stages of the outbreak.
“Had the WHO allowed Taiwan’s health experts to share information and best practices in early January, governments around the world could have had more complete information on which to base their public health policies,” the US congressional commission said.
One of Taiwan’s main complaints is that the WHO ignored its request for information in late December last year on the potential for human-to-human transmission.
The WHO has said that the e-mail it received from Taiwan made no mention of human-to-human transmission. On Jan. 12, it said that there was no clear evidence of such transmission.
China confirmed virus transmission between people on Jan. 20.
“In this respect, the WHO’s suppression of information provided by Taiwan and the delayed issuance of its own guidance undermined the national security of the very member states trusting it for authoritative public health guidance,” the commission said.
“The lives lost as a result of these missteps offer a tragic reminder of how global health is compromised by the WHO’s politically motivated exclusion of Taiwan,” it added.
Taiwan, with the strong backing of the US and some of its major allies, is lobbying to be allowed access as an observer to next week’s meeting of the World Health Assembly （WHA）, the WHO’s decisionmaking body.
Taiwan has reported only 440 COVID-19 cases and seven deaths, far lower than many of its neighbors, thanks to early and effective prevention work and its first-rate health system.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu （吳釗燮） yesterday in a tweet thanked the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs for its support.
“Those who pressure always get their comeuppance in the end. Like-minded friends that stick together & remain true to the principles of justice & fairness will prevail. JW,” he tweeted.
Wu’s tweet followed that by the commission on Tuesday: “The Chinese government’s recent treatment of New Zealand and Australia only further exposes #Beijing for what it is: a bully,” while sharing a Reuters article carried by the New York Times on Beijing berating New Zealand for its support for Taiwan.
“We stand by our allies and for Taiwan’s inclusion in @WHO,” the commission tweeted.
New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters on Tuesday spoke out in support for Taiwan’s participation as an observer at the WHA meeting on Monday and Tuesday next week.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian （趙立堅） said that Peters’ comment is a severe breach of the “one China” principle, which states that Taiwan is part of China.
Zhao said the “one China” principle is the foundation for China-New Zealand relations and urged Wellington to “stop making wrong statements on Taiwan.”
China’s proposed barley tariff — possibly exceeding 80 percent — and suspension of beef imports from four Australian suppliers are seen as economic retaliation for Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s call for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
