Coronavirus: Taiwan invited to Biden’s second Global Covid-19 Summit

Name: Taiwan Covid-19 cases rise to highest level since start of the pandemic
Uploaded: 2022-05-09T07:32:26.000Z
Duration: 2 min 50 s
Description: Taiwan Covid-19 cases rise to highest level since start of the pandemic

It is not known if Beijing is invited to the event the White House says will discuss efforts to end the pandemic and prepare for future health threats

Taiwan confirms invitation to virtual summit but says the name of its delegate will only be confirmed after the event, in keeping with organisers’ request

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People get their Covid-19 booster jab inside the Taipei Metro station. Photo: EPA/EFE

Lawrence Chung

Published: 3:32pm, 9 May 2022Updated: 6:37pm, 9 May 2022

Taiwan has been invited to take part in the second Global Covid-19 Summit, a virtual meeting to be co-hosted by US President Joe Biden later this week, the Taiwanese foreign minister said.

It was not immediately known whether Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen would directly attend the event – a move certain to draw protest from Beijing which claims sovereignty of the self-ruled island.

The second Global Covid-19 Summit is expected to be held on Thursday for countries to discuss efforts to end the pandemic and prepare for future health threats, according to the White House.

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Taiwan Covid-19 cases rise to highest level since start of the pandemic

“The emergence and spread of new variants, like Omicron, have reinforced the need for a strategy aimed at controlling Covid-19 worldwide,” the White House said on April 18 in statement with the Group of Seven and Group of 20 nations.

“We are calling on world leaders, members of civil society, non-governmental organisations, philanthropists and the private sector to make new commitments and bring solutions to vaccinate the world, save lives now and build better health security – for everyone, everywhere,” they said.

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said that as with last year’s event, the island had been invited to take part.

“We will attend the event this year and have also decided the candidate for the summit,” Wu said during a legislature hearing on Monday.