Former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has launched an online petition urging the US Congress to probe whether China covered up the COVID-19 outbreak and support Taiwan’s bid to join the WHO.
More than 76,800 people had signed the “Stop Communist China” petition as of last night, three days after it was launched by Haley, who has set a goal of 100,000 signatures.
As COVID-19 continues to devastate the US, more Americans have been calling for China to be held accountable for the spread of the virus.
“China’s communist government needs to be held accountable for their role in lying about the coronavirus pandemic, and the US Congress needs to respond now,” said the former governor of South Carolina, who served as US ambassador to the UN from 2017 to 2018.
“Join us in our fight to stop China from gaining influence in America and around the world. Sign this petition and please share with your friends,” the petition reads.
It calls on Congress to investigate the Chinese government’s role in covering up the initial COVID-19 outbreak, and calls for the manufacturing of medical equipment and pharmaceuticals to be brought back to the US to end China’s stranglehold on critically important supplies.
The petition also urges Congress to back Taiwan’s bid to join the WHO.
It urges Congress to make China pay the UN and other international organizations “like the second-largest economy in the world should — no more being treated like a poor ‘developing country.’”
The petition also calls on Congress to require US colleges and universities to disclose all Chinese government funding of professors and researchers.
“We must act and protect American security, health, and prosperity. Retweet and let’s send Congress a message,” Haley said on Twitter on Thursday.
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
‘WIN-WIN’: The Philippines, and central and eastern European countries are important potential drone cooperation partners, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in an interview published yesterday confirmed that there are joint ventures between Taiwan and Poland in the drone industry. Lin made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper). The government-backed Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance and the Polish Chamber of Unmanned Systems on Wednesday last week signed a memorandum of understanding in Poland to develop a “non-China” supply chain for drones and work together on key technologies. Asked if Taiwan prioritized Poland among central and eastern European countries in drone collaboration, Lin
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
ON ALERT: Taiwan’s partners would issue warnings if China attempted to use Interpol to target Taiwanese, and the global body has mechanisms to prevent it, an official said China has stationed two to four people specializing in Taiwan affairs at its embassies in several democratic countries to monitor and harass Taiwanese, actions that the host nations would not tolerate, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday. Tsai made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, which asked him and Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) to report on potential conflicts in the Taiwan Strait and military preparedness. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) expressed concern that Beijing has posted personnel from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office to its
RSS