Since the beginning of relations, Alabama and Taiwan have worked closely with one another, lending aid to each other and finding new opportunities to explore together. During the COVID-19 pandemic in particular, the two have benefitted mutually through the exchange of knowledge and resources.
Even without the backing of the World Health Organization (WHO), Taiwan was actively reaching out to its international partners, especially the US, to help. It donated hundreds of thousands of surgical and N95 masks to the Southeast alone, including 110,000 to Alabama. Taiwan also worked to ensure that these masks went to the areas with the greatest need.
US leaders have pointed out the merits of the Taiwan model for handing the pandemic. Independently, Taiwan has been successful in its prevention and containment measures, avoiding a full-scale lockdown. Integrating advancements in technology, such as apps and web-based tools, with its National Health Insurance database, Taiwan was able to develop innovative anti-pandemic measures and policies. If the WHO took advantage of these resources, not only Taiwan but the rest of the world, including Alabama, would benefit.
Taiwan has tried to share this expertise and its resources with the world but has been prevented from using the formal WHO methods because of political manipulation in the WHO by China. Taiwan has proven that it can help on a global scale, now we need Alabama support to ensure that Taiwan is able to do what’s most important—protecting human lives--without the interference of politics.
Elliott Wang
Director-General, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Atlanta
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