Czechia the first European country to partner with Taiwan on medical and technological research

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/04/02
By:  Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan has teamed up with Czechia in the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19), which has infected nearly one million people worldwide and killed over 47,000 as of Thursday (April 2).

“To further strengthen consultation and cooperation on combatting the COVID-19 virus, both offices will seek to mediate and share best practices and cooperation,” stated a joint statement released by Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday (April 1). The statement was signed by Taiwan’s representative to the central European nation, Ke Liang-ruey (柯良叡), and the representative of the Czech Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, Patrick Rumlar.

The Czech Republic is the first European country to reach a cooperative agreement with Taiwan on the epidemic. According to the joint statement, the collaboration will include the developments of test kits, vaccines, and medication in addition to research into health technology and information sharing for both countries’ virus response.

The central European nation has had a close relationship with Taiwan in the field of technology, according to Taiwanese authorities. Last month, James Liao (廖俊智), the president of Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s foremost research institute, held a video conference with his Czech counterpart Eva Zazimalova, from the Czech Academy of Sciences, to discuss possible collaborations on coronavirus-related research.    [FULL  STORY]