Taipei, Manila expand cooperation on disaster prevention, health care

Taipei, Dec. 3 (CNA) Taiwan and the Philippines reached an agreement at a conference in Manila this week to expand cooperation on natural disaster prevention, agriculture and health care, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) said Saturday.

The agreement was reached by NSTC deputy chief Chen Tzong-chyuan (陳宗權) and Philippine Undersecretary for Research Leah J. Buendia at the MECO-TECO Vice-Ministerial Science and Technology Meeting on Thursday.

Due to the proximity of the two countries, they have engaged in frequent people-to-people exchanges for many years, and technological collaborations have played a pivotal role in their bilateral ties, Chen said during his speech at the meeting.

Faced with the challenges posed by climate change, Taiwan has tapped into its technological know-how for humanitarian rescue and assistance purposes, especially for disaster prevention, and a strong foundation has been built with the Philippines in this area, he said.

During the meeting, the two sides reviewed the results of their phase-two collaboration on early warning capabilities for volcanic eruptions, ocean hazards, typhoons and earthquakes aimed at safeguarding people's lives and property.

They also agreed to pursue phase II collaborations on healthcare and agriculture and programs for training professionals in the two fields.

Meanwhile, a motion tendered by the Philippines called for the NSTC to arrange for Philippine researchers to visit Taiwan to learn about the operation and management of P-3 laboratories and engage in epidemiological studies of tuberculosis.

The two sides also agreed to continue efforts to conduct academic exchanges, including a program that sends Philippine graduate and doctoral students to undertake research in Taiwan.

The vice-ministerial meeting was a pre-meeting for the 8th biennial MECO-TECO Joint Science and Technology Commission Meeting in 2023, according to the NSTC.

(By Hsieh Fang-yu and Sean Lin) enditem/ls