#Smearing #Harrassement
HK Journalist Leaves Post After Being Attacked by Pro-China Group for Filming Documentary on Xinjiang’s 'Education Camp'

A number of RTHK programs and journalists in Hong Kong have been repeatedly attacked by pro-China groups.

Among them is Yvonne Tong Yeuk-wun who hosts the English-language radio program "The Pulse" .

During her interview with #BruceAylward, the assistant director general of the #WHO in 2020, Tong raised a question of whether the management of WHO would reconsider the membership status of Taiwan.

Since then, she has been repeatedly targeted by pro-China activists. The #AppleDaily reporters have received information from sources at RTHK saying that Tong is suspected to have resigned from the ongoing pressure and will leave within this week.

A pro-China group went to RTHK earlier this month, accusing Tong of "using public money" to produce "anti-China fake news" by claiming that over a million people are being imprisoned in Xinjiang.

They demanded the station to have her fired. This is not the first time that pro-China groups have come to RTHK to protest against Tong.

Since the end of March in 2020, Tong was accused of violating the "#One China" policy by pro-China groups and even by The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau
after interviewing the WHO representative on "whether Taiwan's membership would be reconsidered".

Amen Ng Man-yee, the former head of Corporate Communications & Standards at RTHK, responded that Tong was carrying her job as a journalist and asked the question in a very matter-of-fact manner without any special meaning.

Source: Apple Daily #April12
https://bit.ly/3g311G9

#Journalist #FreedomOfSpeech #XinjiangCamp #BlueRibboners #ProChina

US Urges China to Publicise the Virus Information and Suggests Taiwan to Participate WHO as an Observer

The US and China were tit-for-tat in a WHO meeting about expert group investigation on Monday (Jan 18). The US called on China to allow the expert group of the WHO to interview carers, recovered patients, laboratory staffs in Wuhan, and also checking the medical data and examining samples. However, China believed that was a political suppression.

Head of the global affairs office at the US Department of Health and Human Services, Garrett Grigsby, publicly confirmed Taiwan at the WHO Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday (Jan 19) for their anti-pandemic experience and contribution, emphasising that Taiwan should participate in the WHO organisation as an observer. He said that the US encouraged the WHO and all country members should cooperate on fighting against the pandemic, and preparing for the future pandemic or other sudden public health issues. He urged every country to learn the lesson from this pandemic in order to rebuild the economy.

Source: Apple Daily #Jan19

https://hk.appledaily.com/international/20210119/QKGRNRW74RFELKZIH6KHLBTUMA/

#China #US #Taiwan #WHO #COvID19 #GarrettGrigsby

4 cities including in Australia and Taiwan rally “promoting Taiwan’s entry into World Health Service”, attendees: learn from Hong Kong to gain international attention 
 
There were meeting in multiple cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane in Australia and Taiwan, to urge the international community to support Taiwan formally join into World Health Organisation, which enable the world to effectively respond to the next global pandemic.  
 
The event was held by Australian Association for Taiwan Public Affairs and Australia Taiwanese Association, meeting in Sydney had around 50-60 people, some of them were families. A banner of “Sydney overseas Chinese Support Taiwan’s Joining the WHO”, people who participated the meeting also raised the slogan of “Taiwan Can Help”, and yelled “Health for All, Taiwan can help. Who Needs Taiwan? WHO”. There were also “packages of pandemic” had been distributed to people who participated the meeting. A package has dozens of disposable masks, disinfectant syrup bottles, handmade soap, and a small box of soap silk.  
 
Kevin Dong, who initiated the rally, stated in the press release, “Disease is not racially divided, it does not take into account politics…we urge all the Australian be responsible international citizens, put politics aside, join our meeting for the world”. Another member Jeffrey Wang also stated, “If Taiwan can participate affairs of WHO, the death number globally and the economic trauma are totally can be avoidable”.  
 
Source: Stand News #May01

 https://bit.ly/3nLS5qJ
 
#Australia #Taiwan #WHO #Pandemic #Sydney #Melbourne #Canberra #Brisbane #Economic #InternationalCommunity #meeting  

UK and US criticise WHO's Covid report and accuse China of withholding data

The US and the UK have sharply criticised a World Health Organization report into the beginnings of the coronavirus pandemic in Wuhan, implicitly accusing China of “withholding access to complete, original data and samples”.

The statement, also signed by 12 other countries including Australia and Canada, came hard on the heels of an admission on Tuesday by the head of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, that the investigation was “not extensive enough” and experts had struggled to access raw information during their four-week visit to Wuhan in January.

Source: The Guardians #Mar30

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/30/who-criticises-chinas-data-sharing-as-it-releases-covid-origins-report?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

 #UK #US #WHO #Covid #China

G7 Foreign Minister’s joint statement focuses on criticizing China and Beijing: group politics that drive history 
 
The Foreign Ministers of the G7 member states met in London, England this week, they issued a joint statement which discussing China in the most paragraphs and concerned about the destruction of Hong Kong’s electoral system and human rights violations in Xinjiang. Also, it mentioned supporting in Taiwan’s participation in the WHO Forum. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin responded on Thursday (6May) that the Foreign Ministers of the Group of Seven Countries made “non-factual accusations” against China and openly intervened in China’s internal affairs. The brutal interference of sovereignty, China strongly condemns.  
 
Wang Wenbin stated, issues in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong all are the China’s internal affairs, said that China has sufficient factual and legal basis for the sovereignty and rights of the Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands, the South China Sea Shudao and its adjacent waters. Regarding Taiwan’s participation in international organisations, including the World Health Organisation, Wang Wenbin pointed out that it must be handled in accordance with one-China principle.  
 
Source: Stand News #May07

 https://bit.ly/2Qj8R3Z
 
#G7 #JointStatement #Australia #China #Beijing #Politics #England #London #HongKong #Xinjiang #Elections #HumanRights #Taiwan #WHO 

WHO Experts Review the Severe Side Effects Data of Sinovac, Commented "Low Credibility" for Elderly

WHO experts indicated 5 May that the Chinese Sinovac for COVID-19 has protection to adults who are under 60. However, there is a lack of data on the risk of serious side effects from vaccines, with “low credibility” for patients over aged 60 and with chronic illnesses. The expert group even referred to the severe side effect data of Sinovac on the elderly and patients with chronic illness as “very low” credibility.

The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) in WHO evaluated the Phase 3 clinical test data of Sinovac in China, Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey, and Chile. They are very confident about the effectiveness of two doses of Sinovac in preventing adults aged 18-59, moderately confident about the severe side effect data on adults aged 59 years or younger. However, for those aged 60 years or older and patients with chronic diseases, the risk data of patients with severe side effects after vaccination is classified as “low credibility”, which means that the test data of Sinovac cannot determine the risks of serious side effects of Sinovac on the elderly and patients.

Source: Stand News #May06

https://bit.ly/3tKkLl3

#WHO #Vaccine #SAGE #COVID19 #China #Sinovac #Brazil #Indonesia #Turkey #Chile #Credibility #Phase3ClinicalTest

Urged to invite Taiwan to participate World Health Assembly; US Secretary of State: Taiwan is a reliable partner 
 
US Secretary of State Brinken announced statement, urged WHO director general invites Taiwan as an observer and participates the 74th WHA which hold on 24May. Representative of Taiwan to United States accepted interview from Voice of America and thanked Brinken for urging, believed that the statement highlights Taiwan as a good force in the world, “Taiwan citizens will remember this support in heart”. 
 
Brinken issued a statement through the State Department on Friday, issues such as global public health security are not restriction by national boundaries and political disputes. Taiwan provided valuable contribution and experiences when dealing with COVID-19, WHO leaders and those responsible countries should be realised, if they continue to exclude Taiwan’s 24 million people from the World Health Assembly will only threaten rather than promote global health goals. 
 
Source: Stand News #May08

https://bit.ly/3ffKcXY
 
#Taiwan #WHO #WHA #UnitedStates #Brinken #VoiceOfAmerica #COVID19 #WuhanVirus #GlobalHealth  

Support Taiwan’s participation in International Organisation Act, the French Senate passed an overwhelming majority  
 
The French Senate passed “Taiwan’s Participation in the Work of International Organisation Act” with the overwhelming number, supporting Taiwan participates multiple international organisations. This voting result will almost inevitably anger Beijing, Chinese Ambassador to France Lu Shaye wrote to French parliamentarians twice this years, to obstruct the senator’s visit to Taiwan, and threatened that if French keeps supporting Taiwan to participate international organisations, they will be sanctioned by China.  
 
The French Senate, which is dominated by the right-wing opposition, passed the “Taiwan Participation in the Work of International Organisations Act” with 304 votes in favour, 0 votes against, and 19 abstentions on Thursday (6May).  
 
This bill, which is supported by local cross-country parties, is non-binding. It was jointly proposed by Joël Guerriau, Vice Chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, and Alain Richard, Chairman of the next group, in March, hoping that France would participate for Taiwan in The World Health Organisation, General Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ‘United Nations Convention on Climate Change” and even International Criminal Police Organisation have worked hard.  
 
Source: Stand News #May07

https://bit.ly/3bYtPwJ
 
#Taiwan #France #InternationalOrganisation #Beijing #China #Sanctions #WHO  

US urges WHO assembly to include Taiwan

The United States on Friday renewed calls for the World Health Organization's decision-making body to include Taiwan over China's objections, pointing to the island's strong record on fighting Covid.

The World Health Assembly will gather in Geneva starting on May 24, its latest annual meeting in the midst of the global pandemic that has killed more than three million people.

"Taiwan's outstanding control of Covid-19 and its donations of PPE demonstrate its strong contribution to global health," State Department spokesman Ned Price said, referring to personal protective equipment.

Source: Yahoo #Apr30

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/us-urges-assembly-taiwan-142003043.html

#US #WHO #Taiwan

Taiwan is not invited to WHA and sternly protest, urges WHO to adhere to professional neutrality and “eliminate Chinese political interference”  
 
WHA had a video meeting today (24May). Taiwan is not invited in five consecutive years, however the proposals from 13 diplomatic countries which about inviting Taiwan to participate will be the main focus of the meeting. It was predicted that the diplomatic countries will have “two versus two debating” with China, emphasized the necessity of Taiwan being part of the WHO. Department of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan announced a press release today and indicated, Foreign Minister Wu Zhaoxie and Minister of Health Chen Shizhong jointly expressed the government’s serious dissatisfaction in protest, urged the WHO adheres professional neutrality, eliminate Chinese political interference, and let Taiwan join the meetings, systems and activities of WHO based on protecting all human’s well-being and fighting epidemic together.  
 
Chen indicated on press release, this year WHA is still focusing on epidemic situation to build a healthier, safer and fairer world. Taiwan’s epidemic is warming up recently, which showing the virus is regardless of borders, even Taiwan cannot stay out. There should be no gap in global epidemic prevention, it needs to share globally all the information and professionally cooperation to fight the epidemic. Chen emphasized, Taiwan has not been invited to participate WHA is not the loss of Taiwan, but also the loss of the whole world. Health is the basic human right and universal value, and WHO as a professional international medical organisation, they should serve the health and well-being of all mankind and should not succumb to the political interests of specific member.  
 
Source: Apple Daily #May24

https://hk.appledaily.com/china/20210524/FIMWCR5K5RF2XC5OQI7O2EUUM4/ 
 
#WHA #WHO #China #Taiwan #Politics #Diplomatic #Intervention #HumanRight #Health #Pandemic #WuhanVirus #Globalisation  

U.S. Senate passes bill to help Taiwan regain WHO status

The U.S. Senate passed a bill late on Thursday calling on the State Department to submit a plan to help Taiwan regain its observer status at the World Health Organization, one of several U.S. bids to boost Taiwan as it faces pressure from Beijing.

Taiwan is excluded from most global organizations such as the WHO, the U.N. health agency, because of the objections of China, which considers the island one of its provinces and not a separate country.

The legislation, passed by unanimous consent, was sponsored by Senators Bob Menendez, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Jim Inhofe, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Source: Reuters #Aug07

https://reut.rs/37qxZLe

#US #Taiwan #WHO

China should provide raw data on pandemic's origins - WHO's Tedros

The head of the World Health Organisation said on Thursday that investigations into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic in China were being hampered by the lack of raw data on the first days of spread there and urged it to be more transparent.

A WHO-led team spent four weeks in and around the central city of Wuhan with Chinese researchers and said in a joint report in March that the virus had probably been transmitted from bats to humans through another animal.

It said that "introduction through a laboratory incident was considered to be an extremely unlikely pathway", but countries including the United States and some scientists were not satisfied.

Source: Reuters #Jul16

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-who-china-idUSKBN2EL1HY

#China #WHO #Covid19 #Pandemic #Wuhan

Lack of COVID-19 Raw Data in China Hinders the Investigation,
Tedros Adhanom: Virus Leakage From a Laboratory Has Not Yet Excluded

The pandemic has spread for over one and a half years. The WHO specialist team published a report in March indicating that the Covid-19 virus was “extremely unlikely” leaked from the laboratory. Tedros Adhanom, Director-General of the WHO, said on 15 July that the lack of raw data of the early epidemic situation in China affected the origin investigation. The claim of the virus outbreak due to the laboratory leak was excluded too early. He pointed out that he was an immunologist, and it is common to have accidents in the laboratory. The investigation of the source of the pandemic is important. In addition to preventing the next pandemic, it is also necessary to be responsible for millions of people who died in the pandemic.

Tedros Adhanom pointed out that the conclusion came too fast after publishing the report in March as China has not provided any original data to the specialist group yet. He then called for a continuous deep investigation. He reiterated a similar point of view at the press conference yesterday and hoped that China would cooperate to provide comprehensive information. It is too early to exclude the probability of the virus leakage from the Wuhan laboratory without sufficient information.

Source: Stand News #Jul16

https://bit.ly/2WTX7bn

#China #WHO #Wuhan #TedrosAdhanom #COVID19 #leakage #WHO

China rejects WHO plan for study of COVID-19 origin

China rejected on Thursday a World Health Organization (WHO) plan for a second phase of an investigation into the origin of the coronavirus, which includes the hypothesis it could have escaped from a Chinese laboratory, a top health official said.

The WHO this month proposed a second phase of studies into the origins of the coronavirus in China, including audits of laboratories and markets in the city of Wuhan, calling for transparency from authorities.

 "We will not accept such an origins-tracing plan as it, in some aspects, disregards common sense and defies science," Zeng Yixin, vice minister of the National Health Commission (NHC), told reporters.

Source: Reuters #Jul23

https://reut.rs/2UB4PGn

#China #Covid19 #WHO #NHC

Chinese official media quoted from “Swiss scholar” on the traceability of the politicized virus in the United States; Swiss Embassy in China: no such person  

In the beginning of this month Chinese multiple official media including People Daily and Guancha, quoted a published article from Swiss biologist Wilson Edwards. In which, it stated there is a scholar being suppressed by United States as he supports the first virus traceability report which published by China and WHO, the article was criticizing WTO virus traceability work as political tool of the United States. However, Embassy of Switzerland in Beijing posted a statement in Twitter on Tuesday night (10August), cleared out there is no citizen in Switzerland called Wilson Edwards, and no relevant article was signed with his name in the biology community. The embassy claimed for Chinese press and netizens, who have retweeted that news take down the posts and post correction statement. They also called for, if “Wilson Edwards” really “exists”, please contact the embassy and they would like to meet him.  
 
Now, many Chinese media have taken down those relevant posts, but people can still search the original links from Google by using the Chinese translated name of “Wilson Edwards”; those official media have not posted any correction statement and the relevant report is still available on Eposh Times.  
 
Source: Stand News #Aug11

https://bit.ly/3Ds2eAk

#China #ChinaVirus #Beijing #Switzerland #WilsonEdwards #Suppression #UnitedStates #Biologist #Traceability #WHO 

WHO unveils new 26-member panel to restart study of the pandemic’s origins

The World Health Organization (WHO) today unveiled a new team to investigate the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Scientific Advisory Group on the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) will also be tasked with studying the origins of future outbreaks and epidemics and guiding studies of emerging pathogens more generally.

WHO’s proposed list of SAGO members contains 26 researchers from 26 countries, 11 of whom are women. Six members were also part of the international team that traveled to China earlier this year to study the pandemic’s origins with Chinese colleagues. That earlier team’s report had favored a natural origin of SARS-CoV-2, calling a possible leak from a lab in Wuhan, China, “extremely unlikely.” WHO’s director-general later said, however, that it was too early to rule out this hypothesis.

Source: Science #Oct13

https://bit.ly/3gVtkWc

#WHO #COVID19 #SAGO #Wuhan

Why China Is Freaking Out Over Biden’s Democracy Summit

The Chinese government is furious about U.S. President Joe Biden’s Summit for Democracy, and it wants the world to know.

A week before the summit was to take place, the Chinese government hastily convened its own democracy forum and published a white paper called “China: Democracy That Works,” as well as a report titled “The State of Democracy in the United States,” in which it claims to “expose the deficiencies and abuse of democracy” in the United States. These actions have been accompanied by countless articles, press conferences, and, of course, tweets about China’s “democracy” and its alleged superiority to U.S. democracy.

So why is the Chinese government reacting so strongly to Biden’s virtual summit?

Source: Foreign Policy #Dec11

https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/12/10/china-response-biden-democracy-summit/

#WHO #China #Biden #Democracy

#Censorship
#China censors #ZeroCovid debate after #WHO criticises policy

Source: Hong Kong Free Press #May12

Read more
⬇️⬇️

#Censorship
#China censors #ZeroCovid debate after #WHO criticises policy

//China’s censors scrambled to wipe out online debate over its zero-Covid strategy on Wednesday after the World Health Organisation (WHO) criticised the country’s hardline approach to crushing the virus.

China is the last major economy glued to a zero-Covid policy and enforces some of the most stringent virus controls anywhere in the world...

Those restrictions have trapped most of Shanghai’s 25 million people in a lockdown with no clear end date, while Beijing has also gradually coralled many of its residents indoors as it battles its biggest outbreak since the pandemic began.

On Tuesday WHO chief #Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged China to change tack, saying the approach “will not be sustainable” in the face of new fast-spreading variants.

The intervention prompted China’s army of internet censors to race to snuff out his comments.//

Read more:
https://hongkongfp.com/2022/05/12/china-censors-zero-covid-debate-after-who-criticises-policy/

Source: Hong Kong Free Press #May12

Surveillance for All: China Pushes for Permanent Health Code by 2025

Although the #WHO had clearly stated that there had been a drastic 90% decrease in COVID deaths across the world, China had not embraced this optimistic view. Instead, it has declared a goal of making the Health QR Code mandatory for everyone in the country by 2025, enforcing a long-term, real-time surveillance for its citizens.

On Nov 9, The National Health Commission of China announced on its website that by 2025, every Chinese citizen will have a dynamically-managed electronic health file and a fully-functional electronic health code. The announcement is jointly published by the National Health Commission, State Administration of State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the announcement, the health code systems currently in use are run by each province separately, and the systems from different provinces do not generally recognize each other's codes. In response, the central government aims to create a basic, inter-connected surveillance platform by 2025, in which each resident will have a dynamically-managed electronic health file and a fully-functional electronic health code.

With such a system in place, the Chinese government will be able to leverage big data to trace the so-called "high-risk individuals", establishing a long-term, real-time surveillance and control of the Chinese populace.

Source: Radio Free Asia #Nov10

https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/code-11102022062758.html

see also:
"Encode us": Health Code, or is it CCP's Social Credit System? (Aug 17, 2020)
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/24283

#CCP #SurveillanceState #WuhanPneumonia #HealthCode #BigData #BigBrother