The EU on Thursday announced that it had received surgical masks donated by Taiwan and thanked Taiwan for its “gesture of solidarity” in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In these difficult times, international cooperation is crucial. We highly appreciate Taiwan’s gesture of solidarity with its donation of medical masks to the European Union,” EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic said in a press release.
One million of the masks, which were a direct donation, are being transferred to Spain and Italy, while the remaining masks are being delivered through bilateral channels to other EU member states, Lenarcic said.
Photo: Screen grab from the Internet
On April 1, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) announced that Taiwan would donate 10 million masks to countries seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The donation allocated 2 million masks to the US; 7 million to be shared by Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and the UK; and 1 million to Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Of the European donations, masks donated to the Netherlands — 600,000, according to the Netherlands Trade and Investment Office — arrived on Tuesday, while the remainder were shipped late on Wednesday and early on Thursday to eight other EU member states, as well as the Holy See, Switzerland and the UK, the ministry said.
On Thursday, the ministry announced a second donation of masks to be allocated to countries hard hit by the pandemic in Europe, the Americas and Southeast Asia.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) yesterday said that masks sent to the nation’s diplomatic allies in Central America had arrived.
“Our assistance to allies in Central America has arrived safely. The people of Taiwan are proud to help friends in times of need,” Wu wrote on Twitter.
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) hosted a dinner in Taipei last night with key Taiwanese suppliers to celebrate the successful mass production of the company’s new Blackwell AI systems. Speaking to the media earlier yesterday, Huang thanked Nvidia’s Taiwanese partners for their contributions to the company’s ecosystem, while also sharing his plans to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀). In response to rumors that Nvidia will launch a downgraded Hopper H20 chip for China in July, Huang dismissed the reports, saying, “That is not true.” He clarified that there
RSS