Combating COVID-19: Taiwan takes on China

Taipei has alleged that Chinese internet users are impersonating island country's citizens to publish "racist comments" against WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as per Taiwan's Ministry of Justice.

This was revealed in a report published in the government-run Central News Agency (CNA) that comes a day after the WHO Director-General on Wednesday claimed the island has targeted him in a series of "racist comments" in the past few months, as reported by CNN.

The report published says that the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau has allegedly found a number of internet users, who pretend to be from Taiwan but are not and have published an increasing number of racist comments.

The Ministerial investigation into such attacks has allegedly traced accounts back to China, as per the Ministry. Taiwan has criticised such users for intentionally damaging the country's reputation

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen has "strongly protested" against the accusation, adding that the island has always opposed all forms of discrimination.

Taiwan claims that it could not access timely information to save its people from the COVID-19. A claim that the WHO has denied.

Meanwhile, Taiwan is also frustrated for not being a member of WHO as China strongly opposes it and considers it a break-away part of the mainland.

The WHO chief in a press conference on Wednesday had said that internet users in Taiwan have published racist comments for months.

While giving an update on COVID-19 during the conference, he said, "Giving me names, black or negro ... I'm proud of being black, or proud of being negro -- I don't give a damn."

( With inputs from ANI )