Taiwan blasted Monday, May 24, the role of China in keeping the island away from the World Health Assembly which opens Monday, urging the UN agency to resist pressure from Beijing.
The 74th World Health Assembly (May 24-June 1), to be held online as last year, has been described as "
one of the most important in the history of WHO
" by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the boss of this organization under fire from critics for his response to Covid-19.
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Taiwan, an island that is officially recognized by only a handful of countries in the world, had until 2016 participated in the annual meeting under observer status.
Taipei has since been excluded under pressure from China, which sees the island as an integral part of its territory.
Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu on Monday urged the WHO to "
maintain a professional and neutral stance, reject China's political interference
" and allow the island - one of the most effective territories in the world. world in the fight against the pandemic - to participate in the work of the organization. “
China has continued to falsely claim that appropriate arrangements have been made to allow Taiwan's participation in the WHO. This is not at all in line with reality,
”said Joseph Wu.
Taiwan has been set up as a model of crisis management, even though a recent outbreak of contamination has tripled the number of cases, which now total just over 4,300. The island has recorded 23 deaths since the start of the pandemic. attributed to Covid-19.
The recent increase in the number of cases shows, according to Taiwanese Minister of Health Chen Shih-chung, that Taiwan "
must not remain on the side
".
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"
There should be no holes in global disease prevention
," he added in a statement.
“
WHO should work for the health and well-being of all mankind, and not capitulate to the political interests of a certain member.
"