April 13th, 2016
(As prepared for Delivery)
Ladies and gentlemen:
Good morning!
It is my great honor to be here at the opening ceremony of the International Training Workshop on Laboratory Diagnosis for Zika. On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan), I would like to extend my warmest welcome to all the distinguished participants of this workshop. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to come to Taiwan, also thank you for your commitment to advancing public health for the region and all humankind. In addition, let me also take this opportunity to thank our Centers for Disease Control and the American Institute in Taiwan for another good collaboration with my ministry.
Taiwan and the United States have been dedicated to building a comprehensive, durable and mutually beneficial partnership over the last eight years. In order to further strengthen our relationship and effectively respond to emerging global challenges, the two countries established the Taiwan-U.S. Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF) in June, 2015. The GCTF not only institutionalizes the long-time bilateral cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S., but also functions as a multilateral mechanism for Taiwan to contribute its expertise to the betterment of the region and the globe. The GCTF offers a great platform for future cooperation on issues we all care about, such as public health, energy security, digital economy, and women empowerment,.
Since the launch of GCTF, Taiwan and the U.S. have co-hosted two training programs in response to such epidemic diseases as MERS-Coronavirus and Dengue fever. About 40 public health experts and officials in the Asia-Pacific Region participated in those programs where they exchanged information and jointly built up capacities in fighting the epidemics.
Today's workshop demonstrates once again Taiwan's determination to contribute to preventing and controlling further outbreaks of infectious diseases. We are all aware of the fact that Zika virus has been traveling from Latin America to regions beyond. Therefore, only through sharing knowledge indiscriminately, exchanging information timely, and establishing networks across borders can we safeguard the health of our people and promote prosperity of the region. That is why we are here today, sharing and learning how to fight Zika virus, aiming to lower the prevalence of this disease.
My government will continue to cooperate with the US for the benefits of our region and the international community; meanwhile, your participation and collaboration are tremendously important and highly appreciated. We hope that through this framework, we can make this world better together.
Let me once again welcome all of you to join us on this occasion. We look forward to working closely with you and your government in the future. Lastly, I wish this conference a great success, and all of you a wonderful stay in Taiwan.
Thank you!