The foreign ministry is demanding an apology from WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. That’s after Tedros accused Taiwan of encouraging personal attacks against him online, some including racial slurs.
The foreign ministry has called Tedros’ accusation “groundless”. In a strongly-worded statement issued Thursday, the foreign ministry said that the accusation has misled the international community.
The statement says that Taiwan has never encouraged or condoned verbal attacks on Tedros. It also said that any comments made by private citizens have nothing to do with Taiwan’s foreign ministry.
The foreign ministry says that the WHO and its leader are subject to legitimate public scrutiny for their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also says it’s “highly regrettable” that Tedros has not only excluded Taiwan from the global health network, but also spread a rumor about Taiwan without verification.
The foreign ministry has called on the WHO head to set aside political bias against Taiwan.