The government would stabilize the stock market and boost disease-prevention measures to contain COVID-19, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday, adding that people hoarding supplies would face penalties.
Tsai, accompanied by Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), told a news conference at the Presidential Office in Taipei that the situation on the ground would dictate whether fast-tracked legislation or emergency presidential decrees would be necessary, while existing regulations adequately allow the government to respond.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), along with the Taiwan People’s Party, had on Wednesday called on the government to issue an emergency presidential decree to provide a legal basis for disease-prevention efforts, as well as to resolve whether restrictions in place are infringing on the constitutionally guaranteed right to free movement.
Photo: CNA
Tsai said that now is not the time to point fingers, but to join together with the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
While the restrictions are inconvenient, they help protect both the patient and the public, she said, adding that such measures reduce the stress on medical personnel.
Tsai said that she wished to thank the public for their compliance and the nation’s medical personnel for their tireless work.
The public should avoid spreading false news and adding to the panic, she added.
The nation has a plentiful supply of all medical products and mask production is to be increased if needed, Tsai said, adding that the border controls that went into effect yesterday are focused primarily on travelers and not the flow of goods.
Stockpiling goods and reselling them for profit is illegal and offenders would face severe consequences, Tsai added.
Addressing public concern regarding the economy, Tsai said that Taiwan has been affected by the pandemic, but remains strong and stable compared with other countries.
The government has allocated NT$100 billion (US$3.28 billion) in stimulus money and subsidies can be increased, she said.
A NT$110 billion subsidy to aid the tourism and airline industries has also been allocated, the president said.
Tsai, addressing comments made by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) on Feb. 21, said that the narrow and politically fixated mindset of certain individuals contributes nothing to the prevention of COVID-19.
TAO spokesperson Zhu Fonglian (朱鳳蓮) said that Taiwan’s bid to join to the WHO was an attempt to use COVID-19 to further the pro-Taiwan independence agenda of the Democratic Progressive Party.
The virus is a global pandemic and Taiwan cannot stop at protecting just itself, Tsai said, adding that many countries have expressed a willingness to work with Taiwan on disease-prevention efforts.
Taiwan has demonstrated its resilience and strength during this pandemic, and nations around the world should step up collaboration to stop the coronavirus — and Taiwan can help, she said.
“I have tasked Vice President Chen with handling all collaborative efforts,” Tsai said, adding that it is Taiwan’s “international responsibility” as a member of the global community.
Additional reporting by CNA
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
CHIP WAR: The new restrictions are expected to cut off China’s access to Taiwan’s technologies, materials and equipment essential to building AI semiconductors Taiwan has blacklisted Huawei Technologies Co (華為) and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC, 中芯), dealing another major blow to the two companies spearheading China’s efforts to develop cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) chip technologies. The Ministry of Economic Affairs’ International Trade Administration has included Huawei, SMIC and several of their subsidiaries in an update of its so-called strategic high-tech commodities entity list, the latest version on its Web site showed on Saturday. It did not publicly announce the change. Other entities on the list include organizations such as the Taliban and al-Qaeda, as well as companies in China, Iran and elsewhere. Local companies need
CRITICISM: It is generally accepted that the Straits Forum is a CCP ‘united front’ platform, and anyone attending should maintain Taiwan’s dignity, the council said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it deeply regrets that former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) echoed the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) “one China” principle and “united front” tactics by telling the Straits Forum that Taiwanese yearn for both sides of the Taiwan Strait to move toward “peace” and “integration.” The 17th annual Straits Forum yesterday opened in Xiamen, China, and while the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) local government heads were absent for the first time in 17 years, Ma attended the forum as “former KMT chairperson” and met with Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Huning (王滬寧). Wang
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
RSS