Pompeo accuses the global agency of playing 'politics while lives are at stake'
Nikkei Asian Review
Date: May 18, 2020
By: Francesca Regaldo and Alex Fang, Nikkei staff writers
A banner with pictures of world leaders is seen before Taiwan’s Health Minister Chen Shih-chung’s May 15 news conference in Taipei about Taiwan’s efforts to get into the World Health Organization. © Reuters
"The United States condemns Taiwan's exclusion from the World Health Assembly," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, accusing the multilateral organization of "play[ing] politics while lives are at stake."
"WHO's Director-General Tedros [Adhanom Ghebreyesus] had every legal power and precedent to include Taiwan in WHO's proceedings" but chose to bow to Beijing's pressure, Pompeo said in a statement. "The director-general's lack of independence deprives the Assembly of Taiwan's renowned scientific expertise on pandemic disease, and further damages the WHO's credibility and effectiveness at a time when the world needs it the most."
Taiwan dropped its bid to attend the meeting as an observer earlier in the day. [FULL STORY]
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