The government is committed to safeguarding peace in the Taiwan Strait and defending the nation’s dignity and sovereignty, the Cabinet-level Mainland Affairs Council said April 19.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu awarded April 23 the Grand Medal of Diplomacy to Edwin J. Feulner, founder of Washington-based think tank The Heritage Foundation, for his decadeslong contributions to strengthening Taiwan-U.S. relations.

Premier Lai Ching-te on Monday said that the principles of bilateralism, diversity and win-win collaboration will guide the government’s implementation of the New Southbound Policy.

Premier Lai Ching-te on Tuesday traveled to Taoyuan City to attend an information hardware industry forum where he pledged the government’s commitment to working alongside companies to tackle problems facing the industry.

Effective disease control requires international collaboration and Taiwan is willing and able to help strengthen global prevention networks through participating in the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization, Premier Lai Ching-te said April 19.

An international workshop on laboratory diagnosis for enteroviruses staged under the Taiwan-U.S. Global Cooperation and Training Framework got underway April 23 in Taipei City.

Premier Lai Ching-te on Friday hosted the first in a series of exchanges with business leaders aimed at gathering views and suggestions in order to shape a more responsive government. The meeting with startup entrepreneurs at Taipei’s Syntrend Creative Park demonstrated the government’s support for startups, said the premier, who framed the exchange as a chance for business people to better understand policy and for the government to listen to the concerns of the business community.

To draw visitors from new markets in countries covered by the New Southbound Policy, the government has already established targeted strategies, and continues efforts to simplify the visa process while also rolling out incentive measures and special offers.

In light of a recent cluster of measles cases, Premier Lai Ching-te on Thursday directed the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) to step up efforts to prevent the highly contagious disease while continuing to closely monitor the developing outbreak.

The World Health Organization has for years urged Member States to take action to achieve universal health coverage by 2030. Although not a WHO member, Taiwan has offered universal health coverage to our island’s 23 million citizens since 1995.