Led by the US, many countries are demanding that Taiwan be accepted by the organisation. Beijing's opposition complicates Taiwanese efforts to contain the epidemic. Taipei complains that international flights to the island have been cancelled because WHO treats it as part of China.
Asia News
Date: 02/08/2020
Coronavirus: exclusion from WHO harms Taiwan
The exclusion is due to the opposition of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), which considers the island a rebel province, and this is making it hard for Taiwanese authorities to contain the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)
Taiwanese experts are unable to attend WHO emergency meetings because of Chinese pressure on the organization's top management.
As of 7 February, 16 cases have been reported in Taiwan. The island paid a high price in human lives during the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic.
Local authorities have suspended flights to and from mainland China for fear of further contagion. The restrictions also apply to travel to Hong Kong and Macau. [FULL STORY]