Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen today urged international bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) not to exclude Taiwan for political reasons from getting aids.
Her appeal came a day after the island confirmed its first case of a new deadly corona virus from China. She said, Political considerations should not surpass protection for the people.
The president said, Taiwan is on the frontline of global infectious disease prevention.
Tsai Ing-wen told reporters in Taipei that Taiwan’s 23 million inhabitants face the same health risks and threats as the rest of the world.
The self-ruled island has found itself blocked from major world bodies under pressure from Beijing. China views Taiwan as its territory and has vowed to one day seize it by force if necessary.
Tsai won a landslide second term in elections earlier this month but is loathed by Beijing because she and her party refuse to acknowledge the idea that Taiwan is part of one China.
Taiwan has been blocked from a growing number of international organisations including major aviation and medical bodies since Tsai was first elected in 2016.
Tsai’s government has also accused the WHO of succumbing to political pressure from Beijing.
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