WHO Secretary-General, "Insulted with Racist Remarks Originating from Taiwan"

Claimed to Have Been Subjected to Racial Discrimination Attack Started in Taiwan 3 Months Ago
Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "Must Officially Apologize for Irresponsible Remarks"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Taiwanese government has strongly refuted the announcement by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), that he has been subjected to racist and personal attacks originating from Taiwan. Concerns are rising that the rift between the WHO and the Taiwanese government, which began after Ghebreyesus was elected, will deepen further.

According to foreign media including the Associated Press, on the 8th (local time) during a press briefing at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Ghebreyesus stated, "During efforts to combat the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), I have faced not only racist insults but also death threats," adding, "The personal attacks targeting me because I am Black started three months ago from Taiwan, and the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is aware of this." He continued, "I am proud to be Black and do not care what is said about me. I would rather focus on saving one more life."

The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately issued a rebuttal. Right after Ghebreyesus’s remarks, the Ministry released a statement saying, "His claims exist only in his imagination, and as a mature democratic advanced country, we have never incited personal attacks against the WHO Director-General," and strongly protested, "Director-General Ghebreyesus should apologize to Taiwan for his irresponsible remarks."

The Taiwanese government has had conflicts with the WHO since Ghebreyesus took office in 2017, as the WHO issued statements asserting Taiwan as part of Chinese territory in line with the Chinese government's 'One China' policy. Taiwan has claimed that the WHO, under pressure from the Chinese government, refused Taiwan’s requests for information sharing during the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Ghebreyesus has faced global criticism for his delayed response to the pandemic, ignoring countries’ requests to declare a pandemic and only making the declaration on the 11th of last month, appearing to be cautious of the Chinese government’s stance.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.