Countering statements made by China's Taiwan Affairs Office yesterday afternoon, Center for Disease Control Director General Su Ih-jen (蘇益仁) called an emergency press conference last night to clarify that Beijing has not been taking care of the health needs of the people of Taiwan as Chinese officials had claimed.
"Whether Taiwan is invited to observe at the World Health Assembly is not just about Taiwan-China relations," Su said.
He cited three examples to argue that Taiwan's healthcare needs had not been met by Chinese health authorities and that China had refrained from promptly and accurately reporting on its difficulties with infectious disease.
"The first example is SARS," Su said. "By the time China reported their SARS situation in January, there were already 130 patients in a Guangdong hospital. The first SARS patient had actually been identified in November."
The case of avian flu discovered in Hong Kong in 1997 was also a case in point, Su said. He noted that by the time the Hong Kong's bird-flu case was reported, Guangdong had already seen several cases of the disease.
"Hong Kong was the first victim. This just shows that closer health ties with China actually leads only to greater risks," Su said.
The third example Su raised was that of HIV/AIDS. He explained that while China had not admitted to the existence of several "AIDS villages" in China until two years ago, AIDS villages were already a problem 10 years ago.
Su called the press conference in the absence of Department of Health Director General Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), who is now in Germany.
Su also rebutted Beijing's claim that Taiwanese researchers were invited to medical conferences in China.
"Every year, before the World Health Assembly is held, China holds several medical conferences and invites several Taiwanese researchers to attend," Su said.
"If Taiwan needs information on China right now, it comes from other nations that China has communicated with or from the WHO," Su said.
"Only if Taiwan participates in the WHO will we be able to exchange health information and experiences of prevention with other nations," Su said.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
RSS