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Taiwan says coronavirus aid sent quietly to avoid CCP protests

The Associated Press

Taiwan sent COVID-19 assistance to other countries surreptitiously to avoid protests from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), its foreign minister said during a meeting with the highest-level American official to visit the island in four decades.

The CCP claims Taiwan as its own territory and has sought to isolate it diplomatically, including barring its participation in forums such as the World Health Assembly.

The visit by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar comes against the backdrop of a sharp downturn in relations between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the United States. Azar said the U.S. supported Taiwan’s participation in international health forums.

The CCP’s attempts to isolate Taiwan has compelled the island at times to keep its donations of masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) under the radar, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said.

“Truth is, we even had to deliver these supplies quietly in some occasions to keep the recipients free from trouble — trouble from Beijing,” Wu said August 11, 2020. (Pictured: U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, left, and Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu attend a news conference in Taipei, Taiwan.)

Taiwan has brought its virus outbreak under control, and Wu said the island has donated 51 million masks overseas, including 10 million to the U.S., along with other PPE items. He did not name the other countries to which Taiwan has made quiet donations or give other details.

Wu said Chinese pressure to accept political conditions for bringing Taiwan under Beijing’s control has made life “increasingly difficult.”

However, acquiescence would merely turn Taiwan into another Hong Kong, Wu said, referring to recent arrests of media figures and pro-democracy activists under a new national security law being enforced in the Chinese city.

“We know this is not just about Taiwan’s status, but about sustaining democracy in the face of authoritarian aggression,” Wu said.

Azar described “political bullying” over Taiwan’s exclusion from the World Health Organization in 2018 that blocked a U.S. $1 million contribution from the island that would have helped combat an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“Especially during a pandemic, but at all times, international organizations should not be places to play politics,” Azar said.

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