MoneyControl | Invisibilising Taiwan

A flawed interpretation of a UN General Assembly resolution has allowed multilateral bodies such as the WHO to keep Taiwan from contributing to its work in full measure. Individual countries, too, have used this resolution to limit engagement with Taiwan. To counter China’s influence, Taiwan has to expand its diplomatic outreach to ensure it’s not shut out.

By Anushka Saxena

Read the full article here.

When WHO understates coronavirus risk, you know China’s geopolitics is at play

There is something a little puzzling about the international response to the Wuhan novel coronavirus – nCoV-2019 – outbreak: the actions taken by the United States, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, and other countries exceed what the World Health Organisation has recommended. Is the WHO underplaying the risks of a global epidemic or are these countries over-reacting?

The WHO has declared the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), which under International Health Regulations is “an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response”. It implies that there is a risk of trans-border spread of a disease necessitating international coordination. Such a declaration obliges all countries to take appropriate countermeasures and share outbreak-related information with the WHO on a regular basis.

Read more