The nation is to ship 150 oxygen machines to India this weekend, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, while confirming that talks are underway to conduct clinical trials of a domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine in Paraguay.
The ministry has since last weekend been looking for ways to help India, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) told reporters in Taipei before heading into a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee to report on Taiwan-Japan relations.
India has in the past few weeks struggled to contain a massive surge in daily COVID-19 cases numbering in the hundreds of thousands, with hospitals sending out urgent requests for oxygen and other equipment.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
The government has been able to procure 150 oxygenators that have been modified for India’s voltage, which are to ship this weekend, Wu said.
It is looking to purchase more machines, as well as raw materials so that domestic manufacturers can continue production, he added.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Miguel Tsao (曹立傑) on Wednesday told lawmakers that the oxygen machines and other aid would be sent to India on China Airlines (華航) cargo flights.
This would not be the only shipment, he said, adding that the ministry would continue to provide aid on a long-term basis.
Meanwhile, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) in a statement on Wednesday confirmed media reports that Taiwan and Paraguay are in talks to conduct clinical trials for a domestically developed vaccine in the South American nation.
Paraguay is one of Taiwan’s 15 diplomatic allies and the remaining one in South America.
While receiving a shipment of Covaxin vaccines from India on Sunday, Paraguayan Expanded Program on Immunization Director Hector Castro extended special thanks to Taiwan for including Paraguay in the trials.
“Participating in clinical trials means not only contributing to science, but also guaranteeing vaccines for our country,” he said, inadvertently revealing that discussions had already begun.
Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp (高端疫苗) and Paraguay’s National University of Asuncion School of Medical Sciences on Thursday last week held a videoconference to discuss vaccine cooperation, Ou said.
Both sides expressed a “high degree of willingness” to cooperate on conducting clinical trials in Paraguay, she added.
Medigen late last month started phase 2 clinical trials in Taiwan, administering 3,752 doses to participants.
As soon as trials enter phase 3 and it is authorized for emergency use, the nation would be happy to export the vaccine “under the principle of meeting domestic demand first,” she said.
“The government will continue to help Paraguay fight the pandemic and ensure the health and lives of Paraguayans are not used as diplomatic blackmail by the Chinese government,” she added, referring to reports that Beijing offered millions of vaccine doses in return for severing diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
The Paraguayan Ministry of Foreign Affairs last month said that some COVID-19 vaccine suppliers, whose legitimacy or link with the Chinese government has not been proven, had suggested breaking relations with Taiwan as a requirement for purchasing vaccines from China.
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
HOTEL HIRING: An official said that hoteliers could begin hiring migrant workers next year, but must adhere to a rule requiring a NT$2,000 salary hike for Taiwanese The government is to allow the hospitality industry to recruit mid-level migrant workers for housekeeping and three other lines of work after the Executive Yuan yesterday approved a proposal by the Ministry of Labor. A shortage of workers at hotels and accommodation facilities was discussed at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee. A 2023 survey conducted by the Tourism Administration found that Taiwan’s lodging industry was short of about 6,600 housekeeping and cleaning workers, the agency said in a report to the committee. The shortage of workers in the industry is being studied, the report said. Hotel and Lodging Division Deputy Director Cheng
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
RSS