Cooperation between Taiwan and the Czech Republic over the past few months has provided more than 130,000 Ukrainians with clean drinking water and more than 100,000 with heating, Czech Governmental Envoy for the Reconstruction of Ukraine Tomas Kopecny said yesterday.
Kopecny arrived in Taiwan yesterday to discuss the outcomes and prospects of cooperation between Prague and Taipei after the two sides in November last year signed two agreements to partner on reconstruction work in Ukraine. He is to leave today.
The cooperative projects center on rebuilding water treatment facilities, power generation units and primary healthcare systems, Kopecny said, adding that they are expected to be completed in the next few months.
Photo: Reuters
While many countries are assisting Ukraine, the partnership between Taiwan and the Czech Republic is unique in its efficiency and specificity, and is only comparable to the largest donors such as the US, he said.
The projects are assisting areas close to the front lines that have been most heavily affected by Russia’s invasion, but have received relatively little help due to the risks involved, he said.
By working closely with local governments in Ukraine, the projects are more efficient as they do not involve the central government, which might take longer, he said.
Taiwan and the Czech Republic are complementary in their strengths, providing advanced medical products and hardware respectively, Czech Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei head David Steinke said.
Focusing specifically on podiatry, gynecology, intensive care units and general surgery, the healthcare project helps by providing hospitals with necessary supplies, modernizing hospital rooms and training medical personnel, Kopecny said.
Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have benefited from the efforts of Taiwan and the Czech Republic in the past few months, he said, adding that the two sides are going to discuss future projects on a yearly basis.
Taiwanese should be proud of the outcome of the projects, which have helped expand international recognition of Taiwan as a humanitarian actor, he said.
Kopecny said that he is most impressed with how active the Taiwanese government and people have been in providing concrete assistance to Ukraine, despite being on the other side of the planet.
Kopecny yesterday also met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), who expressed the hope that the kind deeds of Taipei and Prague would continue to be passed down.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it would continue working with the Czech government to help Ukraine against authoritarian expansion, safeguard shared values and promote well-being.
Theaters and institutions in Taiwan have received 28 threatening e-mails, including bomb threats, since a documentary critical of China began being screened across the nation last month, the National Security Bureau said yesterday. The actions are part of China’s attempts to undermine Taiwan’s sovereignty, it said. State Organs (國有器官) documents allegations that Chinese government officials engage in organ harvesting and other illegal activities. From last month to Friday last week, 28 incidents have been reported of theaters or institutions receiving threats, including bomb and shooting threats, if they did not stop showing the documentary, the bureau said. Although the threats were not carried out,
HEALTHCARE: Following a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling, Taiwanese traveling overseas for six months would no longer be able to suspend their insurance Measures allowing people to suspend National Health Insurance (NHI) services if they plan to leave the country for six months would be abolished starting Dec. 23, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. The decision followed the Constitutional Court’s ruling in 2022 that the regulation was unconstitutional and that it would invalidate the regulation automatically unless the NHIA amended it to conform with the Constitution. The agency would amend the regulations to remove the articles and sections that allow the suspension of NHI services, and also introduce provisional clauses for those who suspended their NHI services before Dec. 23, Shih said. According to
‘GRAY ZONE’ TACTICS: China continues to build up its military capacity while regularly deploying jets and warships around Taiwan, with the latest balloon spotted on Sunday The US is drawing up contingency plans for military deployments in Japan and the Philippines in case of a Taiwan emergency, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported. They would be incorporated in a first joint operation plan to be formulated in December, Kyodo reported late on Sunday, citing sources familiar with Japan-US relations. A US Marine Corps regiment that possesses High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems — a light multiple rocket launcher — would be deployed along the Nansei Island chain stretching from Kyushu to Yonaguni near Taiwan, Kyodo said. According to US military guidelines for dispatching marines in small formations to several locations,
As Taiwan celebrated its baseball team’s victory in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Premier12 on Sunday, how politicians referred to the team in their congratulatory messages reflected the nation’s political divide. Taiwan, competing under the name Chinese Taipei (中華台北隊), made history with its first-ever Premier12 championship after beating Japan 4-0 at the Tokyo Dome. Right after the game, President William Lai (賴清德) congratulated the team via a post on his Facebook page. Besides the players, Lai also lauded the team’s coaching and medical staff, and the fans cheering for them in Tokyo or watching the live broadcast, saying that “every
RSS