One of the main figures behind the founding of Yu Chang Biologics, Patrick Yang (楊育民), said he believes the company has always been irreproachable in its intentions, adding that nobody was initially willing to take on the role as chairperson and it was filled by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) only after she was persuaded to take it.
According to Yang, the reason the company has become so embroiled in election politics is because someone wants to make an issue out of it.
The mission of the company, from the outset, has been to promote the Taiwanese biotech industry, he said, adding it was never just about individuals making money.
Yang said the reason the Taiwanese team won the bid to cooperate with US firm Genentech for the development of a new AIDS drug was because of the standing of Academia Sinica president Wong Chi-huey (翁啟惠) and world-renowned AIDS drug expert David Ho (何大一) in the biotech field, as well as scientist Chen Lan-bo (陳良博).
Regarding the classification of Yu Chang documents, Yang pointed out the importance of confidentiality in the commercial environment and that even now he is obliged not to reveal the conditions of the initial talks with Genentech.
Chen Yuan-tsong (陳垣崇), a top researcher at Academia Sinica, said that confidentiality was crucial for international cooperation in the biotech field and expressed concern over the prospects of biotech companies willing to work with Taiwanese companies in view of the current furor involving Yu Chang.
Ho, one of three scientists hired by the National Development Fund as a board member and the joint venture’s shareholding representative on Sept. 5, 2007, was quoted in a 2007 interview with CommonWealth Magazine as touting the importance of the leadership qualities of the people at the head of a company, adding that Tsai had these qualities.
He was also quoted as saying that the significance of the drugs manufactured by Yu Chang would go beyond the commercial level and, being accredited by the US Food and Drug Administration, would have implications for Taiwan’s international standing.
Few countries outside the US, Europe and Japan are capable of marketing clinical-grade pharmaceuticals worldwide.
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials including Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) are to be summoned for questioning and then transferred to prosecutors for holding an illegal assembly in Taipei last night, the Taipei Police said today. Chu and two others hosted an illegal assembly and are to be requested to explain their actions, the Taipei City Police Department's Zhongzheng (中正) First Precinct said, referring to a protest held after Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), KMT Taipei's chapter director, and several other KMT staffers were questioned for alleged signature forgery in recall petitions against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. Taipei prosecutors had filed
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday established a friendship group with their counterparts in Ukraine to promote parliamentary exchanges between the two countries. A ceremony in Taipei for the Taiwan-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Association, initiated by DPP Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷), was attended by lawmakers and officials, including Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) and European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan Director Lutz Gullner. The increasingly dire situation in Ukraine is a global concern, and Taiwan cannot turn its back when the latter is in need of help, as the two countries share many common values and interests,
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