The Medtecs Group (美德醫療集團) and a charity foundation affiliated with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) are to deliver thousands of sets of personal protective equipment (PPE) to help diplomatic allies and nations friendly toward Taiwan protect themselves from COVID-19, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
With the assistance of the government, the TSMC Charity Foundation and Medtecs yesterday began shipping the PPE to Eswatini, Saint Lucia and Somaliland, the ministry said in a news release.
Gathered by the enterprises’ charitable funds, the PPE batches include 150,000 masks, 6,000 sets of caps and shoe covers, 7,000 protective coveralls, 11,000 medical gowns and 1,500 gowns for airline passengers, the ministry said, adding that the PPE would be distributed to local governments, medical facilities and disadvantaged groups.
Last year, the TSMC charitable fund distinguished itself by leading private-sector efforts to supply frontline medical workers in Taiwan and other countries with PPE, it said.
The two enterprises also provided Taiwan’s diplomatic staff and their families with air travel gowns, it added.
The ministry thanked the private sector for assisting the government in realizing the “Taiwan can help” diplomatic vision, saying that Taiwan is helping by ensuring that its friends can fight the virus.
In related news, King Mswati III of Eswatini said that he recovered from COVID-19 after President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) sent him antiviral medication.
The kingdom in southern Africa, formerly known as Swaziland, is Taiwan’s only remaining diplomatic ally on the continent, and Taipei has provided it with considerable aid.
The kingdom is still waiting for vaccines to arrive, the king said in a speech on Friday, adding that he tested positive for COVID-19 for “a couple of days” at the beginning of last month, but that he is negative now.
“I am grateful to the president of the Republic of China on Taiwan for sending through this medication to treat me,” he said, using Taiwan’s formal name in the speech, which was posted on the kingdom’s official Twitter account.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said that upon hearing that the king had contracted COVID-19, Tsai arranged medical assistance for him.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is gratified to hear that the king of Eswatini successfully recovered under care from Taiwanese and Swazi medical personnel,” Ou said.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
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