Tsai Ing-wen says WHO has failed in its role in leading global efforts

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/03/19
By:  Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan will share its approach to controlling the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) with the world, said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Thursday (March 19), suggesting that the World Health Organization has been incompetent at preventing the pandemic.

Taiwan will “share its tactics in combating the coronavirus based on the spirit of openness and mutual assistance,” said Tsai, who called a press conference on Thursday afternoon. “Only when the international community fully cooperates can we ensure the whole world achieves victory in this battle,” she said, adding that the United Nations health agency has failed to successfully lead global efforts to contain the virus' spread.

Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), who is a reputable epidemiologist, said at the press event that he had received requests for advice from notable research universities in the U.S. as well as from scholars in Japan, Hong Kong, and the U.K. over the last few weeks.

After Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and Director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Brent Christensen issued a joint statement on Wednesday (March 18), envisioning cooperation in fighting the coronavirus, Taiwan’s Academia Sinica, the country's top government research institute, said that same day it had convened with European Union representatives to discuss possible collaborations.    [FULL  STORY]