It calls the pandemic China’s “Chernobyl moment,” referring to the nuclear power plant meltdown and subsequent coverup in Ukraine that helped destroy the credibility of the Soviet Union in 1986. “Under the influence of the CCP, the World Health Organisation first downplayed the pandemic,” it reads. The U.S. had withdrawn from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in October 2017 and June 2018, respectively. Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, said such moves create a power vacuum. Neither the ICAO nor the World Health Organization recognizes Taiwan’s sovereignty and will only work directly with Beijing.

Source: thestar April 15, 2020 19:30 UTC