The Globe And Mail
Date: April 28, 2020
By: Steven Chase

Taiwan is donating half a million masks to Canada, expressing hope that some can be used to protect Indigenous communities, as the self-ruled island tries to counter the Chinese government’s effort to isolate it during the pandemic.

Taiwan, a democracy of more than 23 million people, has been prevented from taking part in World Health Organization activities to fight COVID-19 because of Beijing, which regards the jurisdiction as a renegade province.

The island has proven extremely successful at containing COVID-19, with only 429 infections and six deaths as of Tuesday, and this has left it in a position to extend medical assistance to other countries.

Taiwan’s donation of medical supplies to Canada is the latest in a string of gifts from Taipei to other jurisdictions, from the United States to Japan to the European Union, as the island practices what’s being called “mask diplomacy.”    [FULL  STORY]