US Lawmakers Urge Support for Taiwan at WHO, as US Criticizes China

FDA Bans 65 Chinese Mask Makers for Failing to Meet Filtration Standards

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has revoked approval for more than 60 N95-type mask manufacturers in China to export to the United States, after testing found that many of their products did not meet quality standards. The agency on May 7 cut the number of authorized manufacturers in China to 14 from around 80. Previously, on April 3, it had authorized the import of China-made masks that hadn’t been tested to counter shortages in personal protective equipment. One condition of that policy, however, was that the masks be tested by independent labs. Millions of masks had been imported since then. Testing by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that many of the masks did not meet the…

WASHINGTON—The leaders of U.S. congressional foreign affairs committees wrote to nearly 60 countries on May 8 asking them to support Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Organization (WHO), citing the need for the broadest effort possible to fight the CCP virus pandemic.

Taiwan, which is not a member of the United Nations, has been excluded from the WHO, which is a U.N. agency, due to objections from China.

“As the world works to combat the spread of the COVID-19, a novel coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, China, it has never been more important to ensure all countries prioritize global health and safety over politics,” the lawmakers said in their letter, sent on Friday and first reported by Reuters.

It was signed by Reps. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, and Michael McCaul (R-Texas), as well as Sens. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman, and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.).

US Lawmakers Urge Support for Taiwan at WHO, as US Criticizes China

The letter was sent to “like-minded” countries, large and small, seen as friends and allies of Taiwan, including Canada, Thailand, Japan, Germany, Britain, Saudi Arabia, and Australia.

It was sent as President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials have ramped up criticism of China over the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes the respiratory illness COVID-19. The Trump administration has accused China of making the pandemic worse by hiding information.

Last month, Trump announced that he was suspending aid to the WHO, accusing it of being “China-centric” and promoting China’s “disinformation” about the outbreak, assertions the WHO denies.

Some of Trump’s fellow Republicans in Congress have echoed the president’s criticisms. Democrats have criticized Trump for attacking the WHO during a global health crisis, while saying it needs reforms.

Taiwan has been seeking to join a ministerial meeting this month of the WHO’s decision-making body, the World Health Assembly (WHA), with backing from Washington and several U.S. allies.

But China, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province under its “one China” policy, said Taiwan’s effort to join the meeting will fail, insisting its efforts are based on politics, not health concerns.

Taiwan has argued that its exclusion from the WHO has created a dangerous gap in the global fight against the CCP virus.

In their letter, the U.S. lawmakers said Taiwan’s resources and expertise are assets that could benefit the world as it struggles with the pandemic. They noted that Taiwan was invited to participate in WHA meetings from 2009 to 2016.

“Diseases know no borders. We urge your government to join u.s. in addressing the pressing issue of Taiwan’s inclusion in global health and safety organizations. Given what the world has endured as a result of COVID-19, U.N. Member States joining together to insist Taiwan be invited to the upcoming virtual WHA session in May 2020 is the right place to start,” the letter said.

By Patricia Zengerle

Epoch Times staff contributed to this report.

Focus News: US Lawmakers Urge Support for Taiwan at WHO, as US Criticizes China

China Needs to Develop More Nukes to Curb the US: Editor of Chinese State-Run Newspaper

China should expand its stock of nuclear warheads to 1,000 to counter the challenges posed by the United States, chief editor of the Chinese state-run Global Times newspaper argued in a May 8 social media post. The communist regime’s nuclear arsenal should include “at least 100 DF-41 strategic missiles,” said Hu Xijin, who is known for his hawkish stance on foreign relations. The DF-41, unveiled in mid-2019 by the rocket force of China’s military, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), is estimated to have a 12,000- to 15,000-kilometer range, the longest nuclear operating range in the world, and is capable of striking the continental United States. “We love peace and promise not to use nuclear weapons first, but we need a bigger nuclear arsenal to suppress U.S. strategic ambition and impulse against…