Former VP Chen Chien-jen waves to participants taking part via video link during the Taiwan-Czechia COVID-19 webinar March 24 in Taipei City. (MOFA)

A webinar on COVID-19 management was jointly staged March 24 by Taiwan and the Czech Republic, underscoring the commitment of the two like-minded partners to deepening cooperation in combating pandemics.

Presided over by Liang Kung-yee, president of Taiwan’s National Health Research Institutes, and Czech Senator Jiri Drahos, the event saw health officials and experts from both sides shed light on their respective medical research, disease-management policy and progress in vaccine development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said March 25.

According to the MOFA, Drahos expressed gratitude for Taiwan’s donations of supplies such as surgical masks, respirators and mask-producing equipment. He also praised the government’s success in containing the spread of coronavirus, saying that Taiwan’s related policymaking and clinical practices are great models.

During the final discussion at the event, former Vice President Chen Chien-jen, who is also an epidemiologist trained at U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University, shared Taiwan’s experience and the lessons learned from the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak. He stressed that international cooperation is key to the success of pandemic management.

The MOFA tweeted the same day, “The #Taiwan-#CzechRepublic webinar on combating #COVID19 is a wrap! Ex-Vice President Chen led talks with experts in the spirit of the joint statement on epidemic prevention cooperation. Many thanks to @jiridrahos1 & @MOHW_Taiwan for the great event.”

The online event builds on the partnership against the pandemic jointly announced by the two sides in April 2020 and the successful visit of Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil to Taiwan later the same year, the ministry said. The government will continue deepening democratic partnership with the Czech Republic while expanding mutually beneficiary exchanges, it added. (SFC-E)