The World Health Organisation is unwilling even to talk about Taiwan's exemplary handling of the covid-19 pandemic
THERE IS an island 180km off the coast of China. Its democratically elected leaders say they run a country called the Republic of China. To the Communist government in Beijing the island is “Taiwan, China” or “Taiwan Province, China”. International organisations, desperate not to offend either side, struggle to name it at all—many opt for the deliberately ambiguous “Chinese Taipei”, after its capital city.
Taiwan is not a member of the WHO. Between 2009 and 2016, when a China-friendly government held power in Taiwan, it attended assembly meetings as an observer. But since then it has been prevented from participating, at China’s behest. America and New Zealand have backed its bid to attend this year, but the assembly will only extend an invitation if a majority of the WHO’s 194 members vote in favour on May 18th.
With the DPP in control again, China is unwilling to make any such concessions. Since 2016 it has been using carrots and sticks to persuade Taiwan’s few remaining diplomatic allies to switch sides. Seven countries have done so, leaving only 15 that still recognise the Republic of China. The holdouts include eSwatini, Nicaragua and the Vatican.
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