US criticizes WHO for ignoring Taiwan virus warnings

United States on Thursday accused World Health Organization of putting politics first by igring early coronavirus warnings by Taiwan, which voiced outr over criticism from UN body's chief.

President Donald Trump has gone on an offensive with threats to withhold funding for WHO, which is at forefront of fighting pandemic that has infected more than 1.5 million people worldwide since emerging in Wuhan, China late last year.

Critics say that Trump's sudden threats against WHO amount to a political ploy to find a foreign scapegoat as he comes under fire for t doing more to prepare for and control COVID-19, which has killed about 15,000 people in United States.

Trump himself said in January that United States had coronavirus "totally under control" and predicted it may go away in April as temperatures rise.

Elaborating on Trump's case against WHO, State Department said WHO was too late in sounding alarm over COVID-19 and overly deferential to China. It questioned why Geneva-based body did t pursue a lead from Taiwan.

United States is "deeply disturbed that Taiwan's information was withheld from global health community, as reflected in WHO's January 14, 2020 statement that re was indication of human-to-human transmission," a State Department spokesperson said.

" WHO once again chose politics over public health," she said, criticizing WHO for denying Taiwan even observer status since 2016.

WHO's actions have "cost time and lives," spokesperson said.

Taiwan, which has succeeded in limiting virus to just five deaths despite island's proximity and ties with China, warned WHO on December 31 of human-to-human transmission, Vice President Chen Chien-Jen has said.

Chen, an epidemiologist, told Financial Times that Taiwanese doctors had learned that colleagues in Wuhan were falling ill but that WHO did t work to confirm finding.

China considers Taiwan -- a self-ruling democracy where mainland's defeated nationalists fled in 1949 -- to be a province awaiting reunification and has sought to exclude it from all international organizations.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adham Ghebreyesus, in an appeal Wednesday for unity, said that he had been subjected to insults including racial slights since public health crisis began.

Ethiopian doctor turned diplomat did t mention United States -- largest dor to WHO at more than $400 million last year -- but singled out n-member Taiwan.

"Three months ago, this attack came from Taiwan," Tedros told reporters in Geneva, referring to online criticism and insults.

"Taiwan, foreign ministry also, y kw campaign. y didn't disassociate mselves. y even started criticizing me in middle of all that insult and slur, but I didn't care," Tedros said.

comments sparked anger in Taiwan, which described Tedros' comments as "baseless" and said it was seeking an apology for "slander."

"Our country has never encourd public to launch personal attacks against him or made any racially discriminatory comments," foreign ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou told reporters on Thursday.

In a Facebook post, President Tsai Ing-wen invited Tedros to visit Taiwan and learn from its handling of epidemic, challenging him to "resist pressure from China."

"We have been blocked from international organizations for many long years and we kw what it feels like to be discriminated against and isolated more than anyone else," she said.

Beijing responded that Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party, which emphasizes Taiwan's separate identity, has engd in "political manipulation" over WHO.

"Its true aim is to seek independence through pandemic. We are firmly opposed to this, and ir scheme will never succeed," a foreign ministry spokesman said in Beijing.

Critics of Tedros have accused WHO under his leadership of being too close to Beijing and complimentary of China's response to coronavirus.

But some public health experts say that WHO had little choice but to cooperate with China to preserve access in Wuhan.