India is holding talks with group of countries who are pushing for Taiwan’s attendance at World Health Assembly meeting as an observer nation, given its successful attempt at controlling the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
The World Health Organisation will meet on May 18 to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic and will hold a vote to determine whether to grant observer status to Taiwan at the World Health Assembly, its decision-making body.
The Indian Express reports, India’s recent talks with US, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, who are signatories to a demarche, urging the World Health Organisation (WHO) to allow Taiwan to be admitted as an observer because its input will be “meaningful and important” has rattled China.
China is opposing the move as the US leads a group of powerful countries, all members of the UN Security Council except Russia, to support Taiwan’s claim.
The recent border tensions on the Line of Actual Control following clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in Pangong Tso lake in Ladakh, and Naku La pass in Sikkim can be seen as a reaction to India’s involvement with the nations supporting Taiwan’s recognition as a country which China denies vehemently.
The Indian Express report says, on the weekly phone conversations among the seven countries, the Ministry of External Affairs said the idea is “to share ideas and best practices among these countries in the Indo-Pacific region for responding to the unique and complex challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic”.
In an interview to The Hindu, Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said the country has proposed a regular communication channel with India to link up medical agencies to better cooperate in the fight against COVID-19. He said Taiwan’s sharing of information on COVID-19 with countries had been limited by its arrangement with the World Health Organisation.
Taiwan’s preparedness and learning from past experiences of SARS and MERS outbreak have come in handy in the recent Coronavirus pandemic. The country has reported 440 cases of infection with 383 patients who have recoveres and 7 deaths from the virus.