Taiwan FM condemns China during meeting with Azar

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu on Tuesday condemned China for putting pressure on Taiwan.

Speaking to journalists in Taipei after a meeting with U.S. Health and Human Service Secretary Alex Azar, Wu claimed people's lives had become increasingly difficult as China continues to pressure Taiwan into accepting its political conditions.

He accused China of attempting to turn Taiwan into "the next Hong Kong".

Wu said Taiwan has donated 51 million surgical masks worldwide to provide protection to medical personnel on the coronavirus frontline, but the government had to deliver donations quietly to keep the recipient countries free from Beijing government's interference.

U.S. Health and Human Service Secretary Alex Azar meanwhile said that Taiwan had not been able to participate in the World Health Organization as an observer in the past four years.

He argued he had witnessed the negative results of Taiwan's exclusion from the international society, especially during the pandemic, adding that he thought international organizations should not become a field for playing politics, especially on the health care issues.

Azar and Wu held a closed-door meeting focusing on public health and Taiwan's international participation.