Virus Outbreak: No WHO smear campaign, Chang says

UNFIT TO LEAD? The WHO head blamed Taiwan for attacks on his person and said that the nation’s bid to join had an ‘ulterior political motive,’ a report said

By Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNA





WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus should not allow politics to supersede professionalism, Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said yesterday after it was reported that Tedros had complained about Internet commentary that he was pro-China and unfit to continue in his position.

The Chinese-language report by Up Media on Thursday cited a source familiar with Taiwanese foreign affairs as saying that Tedros blamed Taiwan for attacks on his person and that the nation’s bid to join the WHO had an “ulterior political motive.”

While Chang said he could not be certain what Tedros had said, regardless of the comments, his allegations were not true.

Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang speaks at a news conference at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA

“The truth is that an increasing number of nations doubt the WHO’s ability to handle the pandemic and had the WHO been more deft in its handling of the outbreak, the number of lives lost could have been reduced,” Chang said.

Taiwan is not behind a global campaign to smear Tedros and the WHO, especially Tedros, should concentrate on leading the global fight against COVID-19, Chang said.

“The world does not need meaningless lies, it needs action,” he said.

Taiwan has the experience and capability to help the rest of the world with disease prevention measures, Chang said.

“‘Taiwan can help’ is not just a slogan, it is a statement of our capability and readiness to act,” Chang said, adding that the government would continue to work with like-minded nations and look to strengthen those ties.

Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), an epidemiologist who was minister of health during the 2003 SARS outbreak, has criticized Tedros several times for echoing China’s view of the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a failure to act before it spread worldwide.

The WHO could improve “by strengthening its professionalism, involving more nations and, most importantly, by lessening political interference,” Chen said on Tuesday when asked how to change the WHO for the better.