Taiwan is to donate 2 million masks to Japan to help it contain the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, adding that it had no comment on how the masks that have been donated to the US are distributed by the White House.
Taiwan-Japan Relations Association President Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) represented the government as he delivered a list of donated items to Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Representative Hiroyasu Izumi during a ceremony in Taipei.
The Japan-Republic of China Diet Members’ Consultative Council and Japanese civic groups had said they hoped that Taiwan could provide some medical supplies, the ministry said in a news release.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Considering the COVID-19 situations in Taiwan and Japan, and the nation’s increasing mask production, the government decided to donate the masks to show that “Taiwan can help, and Taiwan is helping,” it said.
The masks are to be shipped in the coming days, and the council is to help deliver the masks to medical personnel, whose needs for the masks have been prioritized, it said.
Taiwan and Japan have often helped each other to tackle aftermaths of natural disasters, while their friendship has repeatedly been demonstrated by collaborative efforts during the pandemic, such as evacuating passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, and tourists stranded in Peru, India and Fiji, it said.
Taiwan hopes to increase cooperation in information exchange, the research and development of vaccines and drugs, and interaction of medical experts, it added.
Meanwhile, nearly half of the protective outfits promised by the US have arrived in Taiwan, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said.
The US and Taiwan last month agreed to exchange medical supplies, with Taiwan donating 100,000 masks a week and the US providing materials to make 300,000 protective outfits.
Taiwan also promised to donate 2 million masks in addition to the weekly quota, and shipments have begun, she said.
The masks are to be distributed by the US administration, and the ministry has no comment on how they are distributed by the recipients, Ou said after a Washington Post report yesterday that said a National Security Council team from the White House on March 14 raced to secure masks from Taiwan, with 3,600 masks from Taiwan’s donations set aside for staff and officials at the White House complex.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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