Vice President Lai Ching-te said July 21 that Taiwan is committed to promoting the development of biomedical industries across Asia and playing a pivotal role in international health cooperation.

On the evening of July 16, the Presidential Office held a press conference following the APEC Informal Leaders’ Retreat.

Leader’s Representative Dr. Morris Chang (張忠謀) successfully attended the entirety of the closed-door 2021 APEC Informal Leaders’ Retreat, which was held by videoconference from 7:00 pm to 9:40 pm on July 16 (Taipei time). This marked the first time since APEC’s founding in 1989 that the host has convened an additional mid-year leaders’ meeting.

In response to the arrival of a third shipment of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines donated by Japan, Presidential Office Spokesperson Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said the Presidential Office is again sincerely grateful to the Japanese government for its timely assistance, and noted that this shipment of approximately 1 million doses, which arrived in Taiwan on the afternoon of July 15, has brought the total number of doses donated to Taiwan by the Japanese government to over 3.3 million.

On the afternoon of July 13, President Tsai Ing-wen announced that Dr. Morris Chang (張忠謀), founder of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), will once again serve as her representative to APEC in 2021, and met with Dr. Chang to discuss his role.

President Tsai Ing-wen presented the Olympics flag to Taiwan’s team for the Summer Games in Tokyo July 12 in the southern city of Kaohsiung, urging athletes to go for gold and represent the country with courage and honor.

On behalf of the Office of the President, Spokesperson Xavier Chang (張惇涵) thanked Japan for donating a further 1.13 million AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses, which arrived in Taiwan on the afternoon of July 8. Expressing our sincere gratitude to the government of Japan for its continued assistance, Spokesperson Chang said that Japan’s donations of “friendship vaccines” have demonstrated our countries’ close ties and touched the hearts of the Taiwanese people.

On the morning of June 6, President Tsai Ing-wen met US Senators Tammy Duckworth, Dan Sullivan, and Chris Coons. The president thanked the members of the delegation, who had just completed a busy itinerary in Korea, for coming to Taiwan and for their concrete actions expressing bipartisan congressional support for Taiwan.

On the afternoon of May 17, President Tsai Ing-wen addressed the opening of the 21st Asian Physics Olympiad via a pre-recorded video, in which she welcomed all Olympiad contestants from around the world and wished everyone a successful competition. The president further expressed hope that the event would allow participants to get to know one another better while deepening their interest in science.

President Tsai Ing-wen convened a high-level national security meeting May 13 at the Presidential Office in Taipei City following recent developments potentially impacting the health and well-being of the people of Taiwan.