Following accusations by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that Taiwan has been behind abusive, racist attacks against him over the past three months amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the government on Thursday detailed the aid it has provided to Ethiopia — Tedros’ home country.
Through semi-official or non-governmental channels, Taiwan has extended humanitarian aid to Ethiopia in a broad range of areas — livelihood improvements, healthcare, nutrition, food/water supply, education, and children and women’s rights — for several years, as well as social support, the International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) said.
For example, three Ethiopian nationals participated in the ICDF’s programs on “environment monitoring and catastrophe prevention” and “projection and management of science industrial parks” in 2012, as well as a “clean power development strategy” workshop in 2017, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs-affiliated organization said.
Each Ethiopian participant received NT$150,000 (US$4,983 at the current exchange rate) to cover the cost of their airfare, courses, food, accommodation and transportation during their two-week stays in Taiwan, it said.
In 2018, five Ethiopian nationals participated in the “fostering program for medics from friendly countries” in Taiwan, where they received training from Mackay Memorial Hospital and Tri-Service General Hospital free of charge, the ICDF said.
During that group’s one-to-three-month stay in Taiwan, their expenses were covered by a number of agencies, with the ICDF paying NT$70,000 for each of them, it said.
Taiwanese private-sector groups — including the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families, World Vision and other non-governmental organizations — have also extended assistance to Ethiopia in the form of fundraising, child adoptions and cooperative ventures.
Last month, an Ethiopian exchange student in Taiwan underwent an operation for deep vein thrombosis, the cost of which — NT$1.45 million — was paid by the hospital, the Taiwan chapter of Kiwanis International and donations from members of the public.
Meanwhile, the government has also worked with Eswatini — Taiwan’s sole diplomatic ally in Africa.
Ministry Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director Ali Yang (楊心怡) said that the nation’s embassy in Eswatini has teamed up with Taiwan’s agricultural mission to hold seminars as part of its efforts to help foreign diplomatic missions and Taiwanese businesspeople overseas combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
The embassy has purchased protective gear, gloves, disposable hair caps and shoe covers and alcohol hand sanitizer from neighboring countries for medical personnel in Eswatini, Yang said, adding that 60,000 masks donated by Taiwan are to arrive soon.
Government agencies and private entities from Jordan, Mongolia, Nigeria and Kuwait have sought Taiwan’s assistance in the fight against the novel coronavirus, he said.
The ministry is engaged in many relevant projects, pending further instructions from the Central Epidemic Command Center, he added.
TAIWAN IS TAIWAN: US Representative Tom Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as ‘Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China’ The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC. The act includes US$831.5 billion in
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
Taiwan is hosting the International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) for the first time, welcoming more than 400 young linguists from 43 nations to National Taiwan University (NTU). Deputy Minister of Education Chu Chun-chang (朱俊彰) said at the opening ceremony yesterday that language passes down knowledge and culture, and influences the way humankind thinks and understands the world. Taiwan is a multicultural and multilingual nation, with Mandarin Chinese, Taiwanese, Hakka, 16 indigenous languages and Taiwan Sign Language all used, Chu said. In addition, Taiwan promotes multilingual education, emphasizes the cultural significance of languages and supports the international mother language movement, he said. Taiwan has long participated
Taiwan must invest in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to keep abreast of the next technological leap toward automation, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said at the luanch ceremony of Taiwan AI and Robots Alliance yesterday. The world is on the cusp of a new industrial revolution centered on AI and robotics, which would likely lead to a thorough transformation of human society, she told an event marking the establishment of a national AI and robotics alliance in Taipei. The arrival of the next industrial revolution could be a matter of years, she said. The pace of automation in the global economy can