The donation of automated mask production lines by a local company to the Czech Republic is good cooperation, regardless of the channel goes through, a Czech Senate official said yesterday.
“We perceive the donation as a great help and expression of good cooperation between the two democratic and free countries,” Petr Kostka, director of the Secretariat of the President of the Czech Senate, wrote in response to the Central News Agency’s (CNA) questions.
It does not matter whether the donation is done business to business or government to government, Kostka said, referring to five automated mask production lines that Autoland Technology, a Tainan machinery manufacturer, had pledged to the Czech Republic.
Photo: CNA
Two of the lines were scheduled to ship to the central European country yesterday, Autoland general manager Kuo Li-lin (郭立霖) told a news conference in Taipei.
The government has been at odds with Autoland over the donation, saying that it should have been done government to government, but the company is donating it directly to a Czech business, citing local regulations and the complexity of the government’s approach.
The donation was one outcome of a six-day visit to Taiwan by a delegation from the Czech Republic, despite warnings from Beijing.
To show its appreciation of the Czech Republic’s support of Taiwan, Autoland pledged to donate the production lines before Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil and his delegation wrapped up their visit in early September.
Asked about the donation going directly to a business, Kostka said that it was an “economic, effective and speedy solution,” quoting an earlier statement made by Vystrcil.
“Who else but private subjects can quickly find a mode of cooperation and start production processes? In other words, the donation is what is important,” Kostka said.
“It is the fulfillment of one of the goals of the Senate president’s visit to Taiwan, together with a business delegation. The aim was to start, deepen and broaden the cooperation. It is clear that the business-to-business model is a success from this point of view,” he said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that it planned to donate a separate production line to the Czech Republic, government to government, and Kostka confirmed that the Czech Senate was notified of the donation by Taiwan’s representative office in Prague.
The ministry’s donation is from Taipei to Prague, but the Czech Senate is willing to provide assistance if needed, Kostka said.
Kuo said that two other production lines would be shipped to businesses, while a third would be sent to a school, allowing collaboration between industry and academia.
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
RSS