FAPA Wraps up “Face Shields/Masks from Taiwan” Donation Campaign – Calls for Full WHO Membership for Taiwan

FAPA Wraps up “Face Shields/Masks from Taiwan” Donation Campaign – Calls for Full WHO Membership for Taiwan

For Immediate Release
Washington DC – May 12, 2021
Contact: (202) 547-3686

FAPA Wraps up “Face Shields/Masks from Taiwan” Donation Campaign – Calls for Full WHO Membership for Taiwan

On May 7, Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) sent out a tweet thanking the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) for helping coordinate the donation earlier this year of 50,000 face masks from the Taiwanese people to medical providers in Wisconsin.

The Congressman added: “#TaiwanIsHelping and could help even more if the WHO would stop excluding Taiwan to appease China.”It marked the completion of a very successful campaign organized by FAPA to donate medical face shields and masks from the people of Taiwan to various U.S. states to help the United States to fight the serious COVID-19 pandemic.With the support from more than 300 Taiwanese individuals and organizations, FAPA raised more than 21,000 U.S. dollars and purchased a total of 9,300 pieces of medical face shields. These face shields were donated to medical providers or state/local governments around the United States:

・ Florida: 2,000 pieces 
・ Arkansas: 1,600 pieces
・ Delaware: 1,600 pieces
・ Iowa: 1,600 pieces
・ Maryland: 1,500 pieces
・ Wisconsin: 1,000 pieces

The grassroots characteristics of this “Shield from Taiwan” campaign captured the attention of U.S. Members of Congress, including Sen. Joni Ernst, Sen. Tom Cotton, and Rep. Ted Yoho. They expressed their appreciation to the people of Taiwan through social media, showing that the people-to-people ties can play an important role in the U.S.-Taiwan partnership.  Afterwards, FAPA helped coordinate the donation of nearly 200,000 face masks from Taiwan to medical providers or governmental agencies in the following U.S. states:

・ Wisconsin: 50,000 masks
・ Maine: 50,000 masks
・ Alaska: 48,000 masks
・ Missouri: 45,000 masks

FAPA President Dr. Minze Chien emphasizes: “We Taiwanese Americans are proud of this successful campaign of having brought the people of the U.S. and Taiwan closer together. As a grassroots Taiwanese-American organization, FAPA will continue to bring the people of the two countries together whenever the opportunity arises.”

Dr. Chien adds: “In this interconnected world, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has shown that it is all the more critical that Taiwan joins the World Health Organization (WHO) as a full member. After all, membership in the WHO “shall be open to all States,” and Taiwan IS indeed an independent sovereign State today. And if it were not for China’s bullying of the international community to adhere to China’s groundless claim over Taiwan, Taiwan would have been a full member of the WHO for a long time. It is unconscionable and unacceptable that China plays politics with the lives of the people of Taiwan, and with the lives of the people around the world, including the United States. The time is NOW for the world to jointly stand up against China’s bullying!”

FAPA完成台灣援美抗疫活動，呼籲支持台灣成為世衛正式會員國

美國威斯康辛州聯邦眾議員帝芬尼（Tom Tiffany）5月7日在推特發文，感謝台灣人公共事務會（FAPA）於今年稍早協調台灣民間捐贈5萬片口罩至威斯康辛州的醫療機構。

帝芬尼推文寫道：「#TaiwanIsHelping，倘若世衛不再取悅中國而排除台灣，台灣將能提供更多協助。」

此推文也將FAPA此次的群募捐贈活動，順利畫下句點。活動期間，FAPA成功動員台灣民間捐贈醫療面罩與口罩至美國數州，以協助美國對抗嚴峻的武漢肺炎疫情。

首先，在三百多個台灣友人與團體的贊助下，FAPA共募得超過21,000美金，並全數用於採購醫療防護面罩共計9,300片，捐至美國下列數州的醫療與政府機構：

佛羅里達州： 2,000片
阿肯色州： 1,600片
德拉瓦州：1,600片
愛荷華州：1,600片
馬里蘭州：1,500片
威斯康辛州：1,000片

上述「Shields from Taiwan」群募活動的草根特性，受到多位美國國會議員的關注。聯邦參議員恩斯特（Joni Ernst）、參議員柯頓（Tom Cotton）以及眾議員約霍（Ted Yoho）等友台議員，皆透過社群媒體對「台灣人民」表達謝意，凸顯民間關係能在台美兩國邦誼中扮演重要角色。

隨後，FAPA亦協調台灣民間捐贈近20萬片口罩至美國下列數州的醫療與政府單位：

威斯康辛州：50,000片
緬因州：50,000片
阿拉斯加州：48,000片
密蘇里州：45,000片

FAPA會長簡明子強調：「台美人對此次募資捐贈活動的順利成功，以及增進美國與台灣雙邊人民情誼的豐盛成果，感到非常驕傲。做為一個台美人草根組織，FAPA將持續扮演兩國人民間的橋樑。」

簡會長並表示：「在這個相互聯繫的世界中，當前的新冠肺炎大流行更凸顯台灣成為世界衛生組織（WHO）正式成員國的急迫性與重要性。畢竟，世衛的會員資格『應向所有國家開放』（shall be open to all States），而如今台灣確實已是主權獨立的國家。若非中國霸凌國際社會屈從中方毫無根據的對台主張，那台灣必定早已是世衛正式會員國。時至今日，中國仍以政治凌駕台灣人、美國人與世界各國人民的性命與健康福祉，這完全不合情理且令人無法忍受。現在，是全世界聯合對抗中國霸凌的時候了！」