News
MOFA announces donation of 10 million face masks to the US, Europe, diplomatic allies to extend humanitarian assistance in wake of COVID-19
April 1, 2020
Press Release No.082
The Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) announced today that Taiwan
will donate 10 million face masks to the United States, European Union member
states and other European nations, and diplomatic allies to support medical
personnel in containing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has spread
around the world and affected the aforementioned countries particularly hard.
Undertaken in the spirit of “Taiwan can help!” and accompanied by a call for
greater international cooperation, this constitutes Taiwan’s first large-scale
humanitarian assistance initiative in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
Taiwan’s actions in
containing this pandemic have been widely recognized internationally. As the
outbreak continues to spread globally, and the number of deaths keeps growing,
Taiwan is sharing its experience with other countries. The international
community has also expressed hope that Taiwan can provide further assistance.
MOFA has been preparing to extend a helping hand under the premise that domestic
epidemic control efforts are not compromised. This first large-scale
humanitarian assistance initiative is directed toward the US, the more severely
affected countries in Europe, and Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, as detailed below:
1. Under the
Taiwan-US epidemic prevention cooperation framework, Taiwan will continue to
provide the US with 100,000 urgently needed face masks per week. Taiwan will
also donate another two million face masks to the US to strengthen protection
for frontline medical personnel.
2. As like-minded
partners, Taiwan and the EU are collaborating to contain the pandemic. Taiwan
will donate a total of seven million face masks to the EU, severely affected EU
member states (i.e., Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy,
Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain), and the United Kingdom and
Switzerland. The aim is to help medical personnel in these countries and satisfy
urgent demand for resources needed to fight the outbreak. Taiwan will hold
consultations with the EU and individual European countries to establish
reciprocal partnerships against COVID-19, such as complementary supply chains
for related equipment.
3. Many R.O.C.
(Taiwan) Embassies in diplomatic allies have procured equipment locally to offer
assistance, and also provided one million surgical masks purchased from overseas
sources. Additionally, MOFA will donate another one million surgical masks and
84 thermal imaging devices made in Taiwan, as well as infrared forehead
thermometers, so as to help diplomatic allies control the coronavirus. Based on
the outbreak’s development and Taiwan’s capacity, Taiwan will explore providing
more substantive assistance to help diplomatic allies overcome this challenge.
MOFA wishes to emphasize that although many countries have sought Taiwan’s support for some time, the government hitherto hesitated to agree to such requests in order to ensure that domestic demand could be met. Now that the number of masks being supplied to the domestic population has risen, and the issue of providing masks to citizens abroad has been attended to, the government can direct its attention toward international support. This first wave of assistance will be channeled to the countries hardest hit, providing local medical personnel with more resources to fight and contain the pandemic. Moving forward, Taiwan will continue to appraise the situation and its own prevention and containment capacity when planning assistance, including that directed toward partner countries under the New Southbound Policy.
Disease knows no
borders. In the wake of the global coronavirus outbreak, Taiwan’s efforts to
prevent and contain the disease have drawn international praise. Taiwan also has
a responsibility to stand on the frontline and assist others.
The international
community must strengthen epidemic prevention and containment cooperation,
together tackling the serious challenges posed by this pandemic, seeking global
solutions, and helping others as much as we help ourselves. “Taiwan can help!”
is not just a slogan; Taiwan can in fact make a real difference through concrete
action.
Efforts to
strengthen international epidemic prevention and containment cooperation have
seen much progress lately, as follows:
➢ Technical
cooperation: The US, the EU, the Czech Republic, Canada, and others have held
talks or videoconferences with Academia Sinica and leading Taiwanese vaccine
manufacturers to discuss and deepen cooperation regarding the research and
development of such biotechnology as rapid screening kits, reagents, and
vaccines.
➢ Establishing
cooperative partnerships: In addition to establishing a cooperation framework
with the US, Taiwan is also collaborating with Australia for the exchange of
materials to combat COVID-19. Taiwan will also start working with the Czech
Republic on the R&D and production of rapid screening kits, vaccines, and
medicines, as well as exchanges of medical supplies and equipment, establishing
a multifaceted framework of cooperation in public health and epidemic prevention
and containment.
➢ Working with
civic groups and NGOs: For example, Catholic groups in Taiwan have been deeply
concerned about the situation in Italy and recently arranged for equipment to be
sent to Italy through the Holy See’s Apostolic Nunciature in Taipei, including
goggles, caps, face shields, endotracheal tubes, and phlegm suction kits. MOFA
and private enterprises also jointly donated 25 ventilators as well as other
medical supplies such as face shields, disinfectant spray, and ventilator
filters to hospitals in heavily impacted areas of the Czech Republic.
MOFA stated that to
efficiently implement international humanitarian assistance, it will maintain
close contact with other ministries and agencies so as to draw up more
appropriate assistance and cooperation plans.
For years, Taiwan
has been excluded from the global health system. Although Taiwan initially
fought a lone and arduous battle to prevent the spread of the pandemic, its
advance efforts and response measures have earned the recognition of numerous
governments worldwide. Taiwan is willing and able to provide assistance and
engage in bilateral and multilateral endeavors to contain the disease.
Taiwan can help and Taiwan is helping. Taiwan should not be excluded from the international public health system. Taiwan again urges WHO to comprehensively include it in related meetings, mechanisms and activities, so that Taiwan can work hand in hand with the world to overcome this grave challenge. Taiwan will take concrete actions to prove to the international community that the world needs Taiwan and that Taiwan will not be absent. (E)
Link, https://www.mofa.gov.tw/en/News_Content.aspx?n=1EADDCFD4C6EC567&s=2A434037CB463FEE
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