US, Taiwan Hold Virtual Dialogue On COVID-19 - State Dept

US, Taiwan Hold Virtual Dialogue on COVID-19 - State Dept

Senior officials from the United States and Taiwan conducted a virtual dialogue this week to discuss the coronavirus pandemic and coordinate bilateral assistance, the State Department said in a press release on Thursday

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th June, 2020) Senior officials from the United States and Taiwan conducted a virtual dialogue this week to discuss the coronavirus pandemic and coordinate bilateral assistance, the State Department said in a press release on Thursday.

"On June 3, 2020, senior representatives of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the US Department of State, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the US Department of Health and Human Services, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US Department of the Interior, the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO), and the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs convened a virtual dialogue to strengthen the coordination of COVID-19 assistance in the Pacific and discuss the 'Taiwan model' that has successfully combatted the spread of the virus," the release said.

The talks came as part of an ongoing effort between the two countries to enhance cooperation in combating COVID-19, it added.

The US side was represented by AIT Director Brent Christensen, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands Sandra Oudkirk, USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator Ann Marie Yastishock, USAID COVID-19 Task Force Coordinator Dr. Ken Staley and Deputy Assistant Secretary, Insular and International Affairs, Sarah Jorgenson. TECRO Representative Stanley Kao and Taiwan Deputy Foreign Minister Hsu Szu-chien represented Taiwan.

So far, the number of those infected by the new coronavirus in Taiwan stands at 443, with seven of them having died, according to the Johns Hopkins University's Coronavirus Resource Center.

The United States remains the country with the highest confirmed coronavirus cases of 1,851,520 and more than 107,000 fatalities.