The WHO should clarify whether China underplayed the severity of COVID-19, the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) chairman, Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), said yesterday, adding that Taiwan’s inclusion in the WHO is vital to prevent loopholes through which the virus could spread.
Chiang made the remarks after leading KMT members in presenting their respect to Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙) at the National Sun Sat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei on the 95th anniversary of his death.
WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus on Wednesday told reporters that the agency now considered the COVID-19 outbreak to be a pandemic, the same day that US National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien suggested that China had understated the severity of its initial COVID-19 cases, delaying an effective global response by two months.
Photo: CNA
As Taiwan is not a WHO member, and cannot attend the annual World Health Assembly (WHA) meeting, it would be impossible for Taiwan to know if China underplayed the severity of COVID-19 if the WHO could not, Chiang said.
Chiang, who was sworn in as KMT chairman on Monday, also called on the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to make it clear that it is vital that Taiwan is granted access to the WHO.
Turning to cross-strait relations, Chiang said the reduction of the political “gray area” afforded by the “1992 consensus” stemmed from Beijing’s actions, causing the consensus to be misinterpreted within Taiwan.
The so-called “1992 consensus” — a term that former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
The consensus, as well as the party’s stance on cross-strait relations, is an important topic for party’s reform affairs committee, and the KMT would try to form a consensus of party member opinions and public opinion on the issue, Chiang said.
The party’s basic premise on the issue — peace across the Strait; setting aside the issue of sovereignty and politics; resolving issues shared by the people on both sides of the Strait; and function-based interactions — has not changed, he added.
Meanwhile, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said that while the “1992 consensus” could be discussed, the existence of the Republic of China (ROC) should be recognized by all.
Consensus is the best way to ensure the recognition of the ROC, he said.
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