The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) criticizes the way the World Health Organization (WHO) treats Taiwan. According to the human rights organization, the island republic should at least be granted an observer status so that the world can benefit from the country's experience in containing the novel coronavirus. "Taiwan's exclusion from the WHO is obstructing the international efforts to cope with Covid-19. The democratically elected government managed to keep the number of infections in the high-risk area low, and other countries should be able to learn from this experience," stated Ulrich Delius, the STP's director, in Göttingen on Tuesday. So far, Taiwan was not able to join the WHO due to the resistance of the People's Republic of China, which considers the island state as part of its national territory and categorically rejects any official recognition by the WHO or other international organizations.

Delius emphasized that the WHO's Taiwan-policy is derogatory. Instead of highlighting the country's merits in the containment of viral diseases, Taiwan is being excluded and ignored. Last Saturday, it became very clear how problematic the WHO's way of treating Taiwan can be – when Deputy WHO Director-General Bruce Aylward tried to ignore questions about Taiwan's handling of the crisis in an interview with a Hong Kong television station. "After this embarrassing performance by its representatives, the WHO must ask itself whether its main priority is actually world health – or perhaps China's power interests," Delius criticized.

Despite close contacts with the People's Republic, the island state – which is inhabited by 24 million people – has so far registered only 306 coronavirus infections, and only five people have died. This is mainly due to the fact that travel data was evaluated carefully at a very early stage. Thus, it was possible to identify persons who had visited the most affected Chinese province, Hubei. During the spread of the SARS virus in 2002 and 2003, Taiwan had managed to contain the number of illnesses effectively as well, limiting the number of deaths to a comparatively low 37. 

Between 1997 and 2008, Taiwan had repeatedly tried to obtain an observer status at the WHO – but in vain. The STP has always supported these attempts. When a China-friendly government was elected in Taiwan, the People's Republic had loosened its blockade policy: after long negotiations, Taiwan was granted an observer status in the WHO from 2009 onwards. Palestine and the Vatican have this status as well. After China's relations with Taiwan deteriorated again in 2016, the observer status was withdrawn again.