U.S. urges WHO chief to invite Taiwan to assembly

[November 06, 2020]    By Emma Farge
 
 GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.S. mission in Geneva urged World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday to invite Taiwan to a major meeting the body is hosting next week expected to focus on the COVID-19 pandemic.

 Flags of Taiwan and U.S. are placed for a meeting In Taipei, Taiwan March 27, 2018. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo

"We encourage the WHO to expand its efforts to offer Taiwan increased meaningful cooperation and collaboration with the organization, and this (an invitation to participate) would be a needed step in that direction," it said in a statement.

Washington has been deeply critical of the WHO and its boss Tedros for its handling of the pandemic, saying it is too close to China, and plans to withdraw.

Backed by the United States, Taiwan has stepped up lobbying this year to take part in the meeting of the WHO's decision-making body as an observer, angering China, which claims the democratically-run island as its own territory.

Taiwan, which was praised internationally for quickly containing the coronavirus, was not invited to an earlier meeting by the same body in May and it agreed to put off the issue until later in the year.

The WHO has previously said it has no mandate to invite Taiwan since members disagree on the island's participation.

The virtual meeting of 194 member states is set to focus on the COVID-19 pandemic and related health issues.

(Reporting by Emma Farge; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Kim Coghill)

[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.