Edmonton Sun
Date: :April 30, 2020
By:  David Kilgour and Susan Korah

The World Health Assembly, the decision-making summit of the WHO, meets for its 73rd session from May 17-21. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic — still holding much of the world in its deadly grip — has exposed the consequences of excluding Taiwan from participation in the global health-care system.

As key events in the timeline of COVID-19’s progression from Wuhan to all corners of the world have proven, the world can’t afford to accept China’s view that Taiwan is a renegade province of the mainland and must be excluded from participating in all international forums.

A country nearing 24 million with a freely elected democratic government, Taiwan has been denied even observer status at the WHO, as many of its member states, economically dependent on China in varying degrees, are reluctant to offend the communist-party state.

But the pandemic has shown that the interests of global health-care should precede economics and politics.    [FULL  STORY]