The WHO Ignores Taiwan. The World Pays the Price. (Taiwan has 24 million people, and only 5 deaths)

[Celerity]

Taiwan was more prepared for the coronavirus than any other country, but the WHO puts politics first.

https://www.thenation.com/article/world/taiwan-who-coronavirus-china/

There is an island nation off the southeastern coast of China where public health officials saw the pandemic coming—and took action before China did. Nearly three months after reporting its first confirmed case of Covid-19, this country has only reported 348 positive diagnoses and five deaths. It was one of the earliest countries to be hit and has one of the lowest infection rates. But you wouldn’t know any of this if you got your information from the World Health Organization. The country is Taiwan, which the WHO refuses to recognize as a sovereign state.

Despite early warnings from Taiwanese officials, the organization kept the island cut off from its global information networks. Now, it may be the rest of the world that’s paying the price. For nearly half a century, the People’s Republic of China has effectively blocked Taiwan from joining the WHO. Despite never having exercised authority over the island, the Chinese Communist Party officially considers Taiwan part of its territory, and forces international organizations—including the United Nations and its agencies like the WHO—to affirm its view.

Last weekend, the absurdity of this geopolitical paradox was laid bare in a news broadcast that quickly went viral. In a Skype interview, journalist Yvonne Tong of Hong Kong public broadcaster RTHK asked Dr. Bruce Aylward, a senior WHO official, if the global health body would reconsider Taiwan’s membership. On Tong’s laptop screen, Aylward’s face twitched. He blinked for several seconds. Then he said he “couldn’t hear the question.” When Tong offered to repeat herself, Aylward cut in: “No, that’s OK, let’s move on to another question then.” “I’m actually curious to talk about Taiwan as well,” said Tong. Aylward’s face disappeared—he had ended the call.

When Tong called back and repeated her question, Aylward replied, “Well, we’ve already talked about China. And when you look across all the different areas of China, they’ve actually all done quite a good job.” He thanked Tong and ended the call again. The surreal exchange lasted all of one minute. But for Taiwanese people, it summed up a lifetime of gaslighting. During this outbreak alone, the WHO has kept changing how it refers to this country of nearly 24 million, going from “Taiwan, China,” to “Taipei” to the newer and bizarre “Taipei and its environs.” It also allowed China to report Taiwan’s coronavirus numbers as part of its own total, instead of reporting Taiwan’s numbers alone—a conflation that created headaches for the smaller nation. Some other countries enacted travel restrictions on Taiwan along with China, despite the former’s drastically lower infection rate.

snip

Taiwan part starts around 19 minutes in

https://c19.se/en/Taiwan*

[rzemanfl]

1. K&R. n/t

[Celerity]

2. more background, it is outrageous

Hong Kong official reprimands TV station over WHO interview that mentioned Taiwan

Secretary for commerce and economic development accused RTHK of breaching obligations to promote concept of ‘One Country, Two Systems’

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/03/hong-kong-official-reprimands-tv-station-over-who-interview-that-mentioned-taiwan

The Hong Kong government has accused a media organisation of “breaching the One-China principle” after a reporter asked a senior World Health Organisation (WHO) advisor a question about Taiwan during an interview. RTHK’s Yvonne Tong asked WHO advisor Bruce Aylward whether the organisation would reconsider Taiwan’s membership, long objected to by Beijing. Aylward appeared not to hear Tong, and then either hung up on her or was disconnected.

On Thursday Hong Kong’s secretary for commerce and economic development, Edward Yau, accused RTHK of breaching its charter obligations which include “promoting understanding of the concept of ‘One Country, Two Systems’.” “The Secretary holds the view that the presentation in that episode of the aforesaid programme has breached the One-China Principle and the purposes and mission of RTHK as a public service broadcaster as specified in the Charter,” he said.

Pro-Beijing legislator Junius Ho, labelled Tong’s questions as “dangerous”.

Taiwan’s virus containment efforts are considered among the best globally, but it is increasingly critical over its exclusion from participating in the World Health Assembly and WHO emergency meetings and briefings because of heavy lobbying from China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory. RTHK said it had reviewed the interview and stood by it. RTHK advisory panel member, Fermi Wong, labelled it “nonsense” which may have come after pressure from the foreign ministry or Chinese Community Party.

“I don’t really understand why when a reporter is asking something relating to health, she or he has to remember there is ‘One Country, Two Systems’ … in line with the government or China,” she said. It comes amid growing concern over government overreach into press and civil liberties, which has enshrined rights and protections, including freedom of the press, in its Basic Law.

snip

[ripcord]

3. Most of the world ignores Taiwan

Can't offend the other China don't you know.

[crickets]

4. This is ridiculous. K&R

[Nululu]

5. Terrific article

The People's Republic of China discounts a sovereign democracy and the rest of the world obeys.

[uponit7771]

6. K&R

[Celerity]

7. thanks for the kick up (pardon that woeful pun, lol)