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.
PROVOCATIVE: Chinese Deputy Ambassador to the UN Sun Lei accused Japan of sending military vessels to deliberately provoke tensions in the Taiwan Strait China denounced remarks by Japan and the EU about the South China Sea at a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, and accused Tokyo of provocative behavior in the Taiwan Strait and planning military expansion. Ayano Kunimitsu, a Japanese vice foreign minister, told the Council meeting on maritime security that Tokyo was seriously concerned about the situation in the East China and South China seas, and reiterated Japan’s opposition to any attempt to change the “status quo” by force, and obstruction of freedom of navigation and overflight. Stavros Lambrinidis, head of the EU delegation to the UN, also highlighted South China Sea
The final batch of 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks purchased from the US arrived at Taipei Port last night and were transported to the Armor Training Command in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口), completing the military’s multi-year procurement of 108 of the tanks. Starting at 12:10am today, reporters observed more than a dozen civilian flatbed trailers departing from Taipei Port, each carrying an M1A2T tank covered with black waterproof tarps. Escorted by military vehicles, the convoy traveled via the West Coast Expressway to the Armor Training Command, with police implementing traffic control. The army operates about 1,000 tanks, including CM-11 Brave Tiger
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said it expects its 2-nanometer (2nm) chip capacity to grow at a compound annual rate of 70 percent from this year to 2028. The projection comes as five fabs begin volume production of 2-nanometer chips this year — two in Hsinchu and three in Kaohsiung — TSMC senior vice president and deputy cochief operating officer Cliff Hou (侯永清) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Silicon Valley, California, last week. Output in the first year of 2-nanometer production, which began in the fourth quarter of last year, is expected to
Taiwan’s drone exports surged past US$100 million in the first quarter, exceeding last year’s full-year total, with the Czech Republic emerging as the largest buyer, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said. Exports of complete drones reached US$115.85 million in the period, about 1.2 times the total recorded for all of last year, the ministry said in a report. Exports to the Czech Republic accounted for about US$100 million, far outpacing other markets. Poland, last year’s top destination, recorded about US$11.75 million in the first quarter. Taiwan’s drone exports have expanded rapidly in the past few years, with last year’s total
RSS