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.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS