Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday said he had made arrangements to meet with American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) chairman Raymond Burghardt to discuss the nation’s post-January elections political landscape during his visit to the US, which begins on Tuesday.
Ko made the announcement on the sidelines of an event for top city government agency heads to exchange ideas on how to market Taipei as an international city by participating in international events.
He said that it would be the first meeting between him and Burghardt.
“The US is still Taiwan’s most important ally. To engage in dialogue with the US to boost mutual understanding is necessary,” Ko said.
The mayor said that it would be fitting to pay Burghardt a visit.
The venue and date for the meeting were to be arranged by the mayor’s aides, Ko said.
Asked by reporters whether he was worried that taking delegates from OBI Pharma on the visit would prompt speculation, due to the firm’s alleged close ties with president-elect Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) family and the recent failure of its breast cancer drug in a blind test, Ko said that the company was selected because it was a Taipei Biotech Award winner.
The firm has also been embroiled in a controversy revolving around several of its key shareholders allegedly having short-sold substantial portions of its securities.
Ko said he asked OBI Pharma to give a presentation in the US on Taiwan’s biotechnology industry, adding that the company was selected following proper procedure.
“I did not think too much [about inviting OBI Pharma],” Ko said.
Taipei Department of Economic Development Commissioner Lin Chung-chieh (林崇傑) said the department had been planning the exchange between Taiwanese and US biotechnology companies since last year.
Biotechnology is a crucial sector for the nation’s economic development, Lin said, adding that OBI Pharma and Taiwan Liposome Co, both Taipei Biotech Award winners, were invited to join the trip to initiate dialogue with their US counterparts.
Regarding OBI Pharma’s failed drug test, Lin said the research and development process for a drug typically lasts between seven and 10 years, and a blind test is just one of many steps in the process.
Just because the firm failed the test does not mean that there is a problem with its technology, Lin said.
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