Former Premier Chen Chien-jen Analyzes Taiwan's Pandemic Response and Global Cooperation

Apr 26, 2026, 08:52

Introduction

Former Taiwanese Premier and Vice President Dr. Chen Chien-jen recently discussed Taiwan's public health strategies and international relations during a visit to Istanbul for the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver annual meeting.

Main Body

Dr. Chen asserted that Taiwan's successful response to the COVID-19 pandemic was caused by institutional reforms made after the 2003 SARS outbreak. These improvements included updating the Infectious Disease Control Act, reorganizing the Center for Disease Control, training specialized doctors, and improving infection control in hospitals. Regarding the start of the crisis, Dr. Chen explained that Taiwan discovered reports of unusual pneumonia in Wuhan, China, on December 31, 2019, through social media monitoring. Although Taiwan is not a member of the World Health Organization (WHO), the government still tried to maintain communication with the agency. As a result of identifying 27 cases in Wuhan, Taiwan quickly introduced border quarantines, established a command center, and used strict contact tracing. These actions led to more than 250 days with zero confirmed cases in 2020. Furthermore, Dr. Chen emphasized that transparency and clear communication were essential to ensure the public followed health regulations. He also argued that the fast development of mRNA vaccines was only possible because of twenty years of scientific research. He criticized the global level of preparedness for COVID-19, citing a Lancet commission report which noted that while some areas like South Korea and parts of the US were ready, many other regions were not. Finally, he suggested that Taiwan and Türkiye should expand their cooperation in disaster response and earthquake engineering following Taiwan's support after a major earthquake in Türkiye.

Conclusion

Dr. Chen concluded that global health systems are still weak and that future pandemics are certain to happen. Therefore, he stressed that continuous scientific research and the sharing of international resources are necessary.

Vocabulary Learning

assert (v.)
state firmly / to say that something is certainly true斷言；堅稱
Example:The scientist asserted that the new data proved his theory correct.
cite (v.)
mention / to mention something as proof or a reason for something引用；引述
Example:The lawyer cited several previous cases to support her argument.
essential (adj.)
necessary / extremely important or necessary必要的；至關重要的
Example:Good communication is essential for a successful relationship.
reform (n.)
improvement / an improvement or change to a system or law改革；改良
Example:The government introduced several economic reforms to boost the country's growth.
transparency (n.)
openness / the quality of being done in an open way without secrets透明度
Example:The public demanded more transparency regarding how the tax money was being spent.

Sentence Learning

Dr. Chen asserted that Taiwan's successful response to the COVID-19 pandemic was caused by institutional reforms made after the 2003 SARS outbreak.
Passive Voice: The passive construction "was caused by" focuses on the event's outcome rather than the agent of the action.被動語態: 被動結構「was caused by」側重於事件的結果，而非動作的執行者。
Although Taiwan is not a member of the World Health Organization (WHO), the government still tried to maintain communication with the agency.
Concession Clause: The conjunction "Although" is used to introduce a fact that contrasts with the main action of the sentence.讓步子句: 連接詞「Although」用於引導一個與主句行動形成對比的事實。
He criticized the global level of preparedness for COVID-19, citing a Lancet commission report which noted that while some areas like South Korea and parts of the US were ready, many other regions were not.
Relative Clause: This clause uses "which" to provide additional, non-essential information about the specific report mentioned.關係子句: 此子句使用「which」引導，為提及的特定報告提供額外的補充資訊。
Dr. Chen emphasized that transparency and clear communication were essential to ensure the public followed health regulations.
Noun Clause: The word "that" introduces a clause acting as the object of the verb "emphasized," stating a key fact or principle.名詞子句: 單字「that」引導一個子句作為動詞「emphasized」的賓語，陳述一項核心事實或原則。
As a result of identifying 27 cases in Wuhan, Taiwan quickly introduced border quarantines, established a command center, and used strict contact tracing.
Cause and Effect Phrase: The phrase "As a result of" clearly links the discovery of the cases to the subsequent government actions.因果連接短語: 短語「As a result of」清楚說明了發現病例與隨後採取的政府行動之間的因果關係。