The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) yesterday said that it would boost cooperation with Taiwan on the research and development of a COVID-19 vaccine.
The US’ de facto embassy said in a statement that it would enhance consultation and cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Welfare to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
“Taiwan has extensive experience in the prevention of infectious diseases and its record in managing the Wuhan coronavirus has been well noted. The United States and Taiwan will share best practices and both sides will also endeavor to cooperate on the research and development of vaccines and medicine related to fighting the pandemic,” it said in a post on its Facebook page, using the hashtag “RealFriendsRealProgress.”
Screen grab from the American Institute in Taiwan Web site
The AIT referred to COVID-19 as “the Wuhan coronavirus,” as did US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in an interview with US news network CNBC on March 6.
The Presidential Office yesterday said it is willing to see the solid friendship between Taiwan and the US continue to deepen in all areas, reiterating that Taiwan can contribute to the international community amid the viral pandemic by sharing its disease-prevention experience and research results.
The AIT’s statement is “major progress in Taiwan-US relations,” as it involves a bilateral commitment to increase exchanges on disease prevention measures, medical resources and vaccine development, a senior Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said on condition of anonymity.
Praised by the global community for its successful disease prevention efforts, Taiwan has become an indispensable part in the global network of public health, the official added.
Additional reporting by Yang Chun-hui
BACK IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: The planned transit by the ‘Baden-Wuerttemberg’ and the ‘Frankfurt am Main’ would be the German Navy’s first passage since 2002 Two German warships are set to pass through the Taiwan Strait in the middle of this month, becoming the first German naval vessels to do so in 22 years, Der Spiegel reported on Saturday. Reuters last month reported that the warships, the frigate Baden-Wuerttemberg and the replenishment ship Frankfurt am Main, were awaiting orders from Berlin to sail the Strait, prompting a rebuke to Germany from Beijing. Der Spiegel cited unspecified sources as saying Beijing would not be formally notified of the German ships’ passage to emphasize that Berlin views the trip as normal. The German Federal Ministry of Defense declined to comment. While
‘REGRETTABLE’: TPP lawmaker Vivian Huang said that ‘we will continue to support Chairman Ko and defend his innocence’ as he was transferred to a detention facility The Taipei District Court yesterday ruled that Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) be detained and held incommunicado over alleged corruption dating to his time as mayor of Taipei. The ruling reversed a decision by the court on Monday morning that Ko be released without bail. After prosecutors on Wednesday appealed the Monday decision, the High Court said that Ko had potentially been “actively involved” in the alleged corruption and ordered the district court to hold a second detention hearing. Ko did not speak to reporters upon his arrival at the district court at about 9:10am yesterday to attend a procedural
Thirty Taiwanese firms, led by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and ASE Technology Holding Co (日月光投控), yesterday launched a silicon photonics industry alliance, aiming to accelerate the medium’s development and address the energy efficiency of artificial intelligence (AI) devices like data centers. As the world is ushering in a new AI era with tremendous demand for computing power and algorithms, energy consumption is emerging as a critical issue, TSMC vice president of integrated interconnect and packaging business C.K. Hsu (徐國晉) told a media briefing in Taipei. To solve this issue, it is essential to introduce silicon photonics and copackaged optics (CPO)
The High Court yesterday overturned a Taipei District Court decision to release Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and sent the case back to the lower court. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office on Saturday questioned Ko amid a probe into alleged corruption involving the Core Pacific City development project during his time as Taipei mayor. Core Pacific City, also known as Living Mall (京華城購物中心), was a shopping mall in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) that has since been demolished. On Monday, the Taipei District Court granted a second motion by Ko’s attorney to release him without bail, a decision the prosecutors’ office appealed
RSS