Coronavirus live news: US health secretary Azar to visit Taiwan as Europe faces second wave

Alex Azar praises ‘transparent’ handling of pandemic in veiled attack on China; Trump flounders in interview; France could lose control ‘any time’. Follow all the developmentsUS: Biden tells Trump to ‘step up and do your job’‘We’re fighting a ghost’: six months on victories over virus remain fragileUS: Trump on the ropes over Covid-19 figures in TV interview 2.57am BST US health secretary Alex Azar has confirmed that WSJ report that he is going to Taiwan.He said that Taiwan, which Beijing considers to be part of China, had been a “model of transparency and cooperation” over its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. No prizes for guessing who the trump administration thinks has not been such a paragon.Taiwan has been a model of transparency and cooperation in global health during the COVID-19 pandemic and long before it. This trip represents an opportunity to strengthen our economic and public health cooperation with Taiwan.In contrast to authoritarian systems, US and Taiwan societies and economies are uniquely equipped to drive global progress in areas such as medicine and science to help the world tackle emerging threats. The Covid-19 pandemic is the most recent example of joint U.S.-Taiwan efforts to confront global challenges for the good of the world. 2.44am BST Washington is reported to be sending its most senior representative to Taiwan for more than 40 years in what appears to be a calculated affront to Beijing as US-China relations continue to head downhill in the wake of the argument over the pandemic.US health secretary Alex Azar will travel to Taiwan in coming days, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. Continue reading…
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