Spanish – The latest international display of censorship by the Chinese communist regime, which is under worldwide scrutiny for its lack of transparency in handling the coronavirus, was its attempt to silence Brazilian deputies and senators.
Brazil, with a population of over 212 million, is today, the country with the second-highest number of reported cases of COVID-19 in the world, 394,507, of which nearly half, 158,593 have recovered, and 24,593 have died (about 7%).
The pandemic broke out in Wuhan and spread to the world after the Chinese regime persecuted doctors and journalists who warned of it through censorship, detention, and disappearances. Meanwhile, the Chinese embassy in Brazil sent a letter recommending the silencing of Brazilian parliamentarians regarding the swearing-in of Taiwan’s president.
Eduardo Bolsonaro, the congressman with the most votes in the history of Brazil, son of President Jair Bolsonaro, not only congratulated the president but also highlighted Taiwan as an example of efficiency in the fight against the pandemic.
He echoed the Brazilian ruling-party deputy Paulo Eduardo Martins, who calls the embassy’s letter an “insult” and labels the regime a “dictatorship.”
🇹🇼 Felicito a reeleição democrática da Presidente de Taiwan, Sra. Tsai Ing-wen @iingwen .
Terra sensacional que pude visitar em 2018 com excelente educação e nível tecnológico. Além disso, Taiwan tem demonstrado eficiência no combate à pandemia. https://t.co/Whxk431Gcs
— Eduardo Bolsonaro🇧🇷 (@BolsonaroSP) May 26, 2020
The hashtag #VivaTaiwan went viral on social media in Brazil after Congressman Paulo Eduardo Martins exposed the letter sent by the Chinese embassy. The repercussions were so extensive that it even reached the president of Taiwan, who responded via Twitter:
“Thank you to all of our friends in Brazil for your kind congratulations, and I hope you are all staying safe & healthy.”
Thank you to all of our friends in #Brazil for your kind congratulations, and I hope you are all staying safe & healthy. #VivaTaiwan 🇹🇼 #VivaBrazil 🇧🇷
— 蔡英文 Tsai Ing-wen (@iingwen) May 26, 2020
A few days ago, in a speech on the inauguration of her second and last term, the president of Taiwan said that the democratic regime in Taiwan will never accept being dominated by Beijing.
Taiwan has more than 23 million inhabitants, but only 441 diagnosed cases of COVID-19, only seven deaths, and over 419 people have already recovered. The success of this small nation is embarrassing for China, which does not recognize Taiwan’s independence, and therefore, neither does the UN nor the WHO. So China wants to silence Taiwan, as well as its supporters.
Taiwan had been warning about the rapid spread of the virus. The political and ideological closeness between the World Health Organization and the Communist Party of China has led to the nation that has best handled the pandemic, precisely because of prevention, being ignored. The WHO does not consider Taiwan as a nation but as part of China, as stated by the high official Bruce Aylward in an interview with Hong Kong Radio and Television.
It is an embarrassing scene. @WHO Director General, Bruce Aylward, hangs up in an interview with RTHK when he is asked about reconsidering Taiwan’s membership. Ironically, despite being so close to China, Taiwan manages to keep the #coronavirus infection and fatality rate low. pic.twitter.com/bFWRXpCyHN
— Ezra Cheung (@ezracheungtoto) March 28, 2020
Hong Kong ranks second in the world on the economic freedom index and has also excelled in its efforts against the coronavirus pandemic. It has had only four fatalities, and 1,067 of its 1,034 infected patients have already recovered. But the success of both nations has been and is being ignored by the WHO.
Hong Kong is currently holding demonstrations against the communist regime. The President of Taiwan, therefore, expressed her support for her “partners in democracy” and affirmed her solidarity with Hong Kong.
The aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic is pushing the nations of the world to reassess their diplomatic relations. China has already spoken of a possible cold war with the U.S., as the U.S. has reiterated China’s culpability in the spread of the virus, given the censorship of doctors and scientists, such as the Shanghai laboratory that was closed after the discovery of the coronavirus genome.
President Donald Trump has accused the WHO of being China-centric because instead of listening to and publishing the research of experts in immunology and prevention, the WHO has based its publications on what is said by the regime that is stifling them.
Brazil has made it clear both politically and civilly, that it will not be an accomplice of the communist regime, but of the free nations that stand against them, such as Taiwan.