Global News
Date: June 7, 2020
By: Matthew Fisher, Special to Global News
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen delivers her inaugural address at the Taipei Guest House in Taipei, Taiwan May 20, 2020. . Wang Yu Ching/Taiwan Presidential Office/Handout via REUTERS
China is confronting a damning investigation published by the Associated Press this week that confirms Beijing withheld information about the novel coronavirus from the global community and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Sensing an opening, Taiwan — which the Chinese dictator Xi Jinping regards as a province that must be brought to heel — has been quietly making diplomatic moves to win allies.
READ MORE: China frustrated WHO by delaying coronavirus info, despite public praise, sources say
Much closer ties with Canada have clearly been one of the plucky Asian island state’s leading priorities. To try to thaw what has been a frosty relationship on Canada’s side, Taiwan is sending 1.1 million high-quality surgical and N95 face masks and 100,000 protective and isolation gowns to Montreal this week. The federal government is expected to give the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the Canadian Red Cross to distribute to front line health-care workers and Indigenous communities. [FULL STORY]
