An ex-United States national security advisor on Wednesday called for the creation of a new international pandemic-response coalition that includes Taiwan to counter the shortcomings of the World Health Organization (WHO).
At a forum in Taipei, former U.S. Deputy National Security Matt Pottinger said China's flouting in 2019 of WHO rules introduced after the 2001-2004 SARS outbreak showed the need for a coalition of countries with accountable governments and freedom of speech to fight future international health crises.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Pottinger suggested that the G7 group of leading industrial nations, Taiwan, India, and Australia work together to form a "biological intelligence" institution, which would also take collective action when countries fail to share information.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
The former White House staffer added that the institutional shortcomings of the WHO -- which "comically" did not recognize the existence of Taiwan -- meant it had been unable to roll out rapid and efficient pandemic-response measures.
In situations where transparency is essential, countries like Taiwan are at an advantage because their democratically elected political leadership is more accountable, Pottinger said.
Pottinger praised Taiwan for being a source of reliable information about COVID-19 when it first emerged in China, expressing gratitude to former Vice President Chen Chien-jen's (陳建仁) for his assistance in providing personal protective equipment to countries, including the U.S., in the early stages of the pandemic.
Pottinger was speaking at "The Origin and Management of COVID-19: Views from the U.S. Front Line" forum, which was co-sponsored by the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation (CAPRI), Taipei, and the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville.
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