TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A White House petition calling on the U.S. government to support Taiwan’s joining the World Health Organization (WHO) surpassed the required threshold of 100,000 signatures within just three days.

The petition, posted on Jan. 30, has garnered 128,039 signatures as of 3 p.m. on Sunday (Feb. 2). The Trump administration is required to issue an official response to the request in 60 days.

The petition was launched by someone with the initials C.C. It urges Washington to “take action supporting Taiwan for joining WHO,” citing the island nation’s high-quality medical technology and abundant experience in healthcare.

“Taiwan has always been precluded from WHO due to China's opposition and pressure,” it says, stressing the need for Taiwan to access timely information from the WHO regarding the outbreak of the coronavirus 2019-nCoV, as it now “stands on the front line of defense.”

The WHO has convened two emergency meetings in response to the spread of the illness that originated in China’s Wuhan, but each time it has failed to invite Taiwan to offer its expertise, even though the country has reported 10 cases and built a reputation on fighting epidemics, as evidenced during the SARS pandemic.

The European Union has joined world leaders, including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as well as politicians such as U.S. Senator Mitt Romney in backing Taiwan’s inclusion in WHO.