Taiwan, along with the United States, Japan, and Australia, co-hosted an international workshop Wednesday (Oct. 28) to discuss how to respond to criminal acts related to the neocon outbreak, such as fraud and the dissemination of false information. Since the outbreak, Taiwan’s Bureau of Investigation has seized about 260 million counterfeit masks and targeted about 1,400 cases of misinformation.
On Wednesday, the Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF) held an “International Workshop on the Prevention and Control of Crimes Related to Coronary Pneumonia” in Taipei via video. Participants included Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Justice, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, and the Australian Office in Taiwan. In addition, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that more than 300 law enforcement officials and experts and scholars from 31 countries, including the United States, Japan, Australia, Guatemala, Paraguay, and Tuvalu, participated online to discuss how to effectively combat epidemic-derived crimes and strengthen the energy of law enforcement cooperation between Taiwan and the international community through practical experience sharing.
This is the second time that Taiwan, after receiving widespread praise for its effective control of the epidemic and greatly raising its visibility internationally, will once again engage in more practical contacts and exchanges with multiple countries on epidemic-related issues.
In his remarks at the conference Wednesday, AIT Deputy Director Raymond Greene praised Taiwan’s successful response to the outbreak and its generosity in sharing its expertise with the world and lending a helping hand to many countries in their hour of greatest need, including rushing to the United States.
The epidemic has shown the resilience and generosity of the human race at its best, Greene said, but some unscrupulous individuals and businesses have instead taken advantage of the uncertainty to divide society or profit from the crisis, from financial scams targeting vulnerable populations to importing counterfeit medical supplies to defrauding people of money through websites and emails. He said that as the epidemic spreads, such illegal activities will only become more rampant, frequent, and complex, and that these criminal activities have become a global phenomenon that requires global attention.
In his opening remarks at the camp, Taiwan’s Vice Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Tien Chu-Kuang, said that the Xinguan epidemic has had a tremendous impact on the world, creating many challenges at the law enforcement level, such as the spread of false information, mask counterfeiting, and the illegal stockpiling of personal protective equipment (PPE). He said that Taiwan’s quick response and proper handling of the situation has limited the impact on people’s lives, but that the virus and crime know no borders, and that the event will help build a safety net against epidemic-related crimes and serve as a stabilizing force in the face of an ever-changing epidemic.
Yokochi Akira, deputy representative of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, also spoke at the opening ceremony of the camp, saying that the neo-crown epidemic is a good opportunity for perpetrators and that crime trends are changing, and how to deal with this new type of crime is one of the world’s common issues.
Gary Cowan, Australia’s representative in Taiwan, opened the camp with a pre-recorded video message.
“The Global Cooperation and Training Academy was established in 2015 to launch a talent development framework between the United States and Taiwan. Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) host workshops on regional issues such as public health and environmental issues, with a focus on Southeast Asia and Oceania, bringing together relevant experts and government officials from these regions.
Japan will participate in co-hosting the camps starting in 2019. The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association says on its website that it believes that this structure works well for exchanges and practical cooperation with Taiwan, which shares the common values of freedom and democracy.
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