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WHO Again Under Scrutiny for China Influence

Yihua Lee

   WASHINGTON - Last week the World Health Organization hosted its annual
   summit known as the World Health Assembly to outline new policies and
   priorities, but a controversy involving Taiwan ended up also drawing
   renewed attention on how Beijing's politics continue to influence the
   WHO.

   During the summit, which was hosted on the WHO official Facebook'¯page,
   WHO moderators appeared to censor comments that contained words related
   to Taiwan or that implied the coronavirus originated in China. Several
   Taiwanese media reported that the WHO Facebook page blocked any
   Taiwan-related comments that included "Taiwan" or "Taiwan can help."

   After coming under criticism, the WHO said it was facing an "onslaught"
   of cyberattacks during the summit by activists using words including
   "Taiwan" and "China." The group said it applied content filters to
   improve moderators' ability to monitor conversations. The measures were
   later removed after the Taiwanese government complained.

   The censorship goes beyond Taiwan. Since the incident, internet users
   have found that phrases such as "Winnie the Pooh," "Wuhan Virus" and
   "China Virus" were also blocked. Winnie the Pooh has become a sensitive
   character in China because people use it to mock Chinese leader Xi
   Jinping.

   Several members of Congress have raised concerns about the WHO's
   actions.

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