Analysis of Taiwan's Pandemic Response and International Cooperation by Former Premier Chen Chien-jen

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

The efficacy of Taiwan's response to the COVID-19 pandemic is attributed by Dr. Chen to institutional reforms initiated following the 2003 SARS outbreak. These measures included the amendment of the Infectious Disease Control Act, the reorganization of the Center for Disease Control and health administration, the training of specialized epidemic prevention physicians, and the enhancement of hospital infection control systems. Regarding the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, Dr. Chen stated that Taiwan identified reports of atypical pneumonia in Wuhan, China, on December 31, 2019, via social media monitoring. Despite Taiwan's lack of membership in the World Health Organization (WHO), efforts were made to maintain communication with the agency. Upon the identification of 27 reported cases in Wuhan, Taiwan implemented a border quarantine system for passengers arriving from that region. This was followed by the establishment of an epidemic command center, stringent border controls, and comprehensive contact tracing, which resulted in over 250 days with zero confirmed cases in 2020. Dr. Chen emphasized that transparency and public communication were critical in securing the social cohesion necessary for compliance with health regulations. Furthermore, he noted that the rapid development of mRNA vaccines was a result of two decades of continuous scientific research, arguing that sustained investment in infectious disease research is essential for future preparedness. He cited a Lancet commission finding that global preparedness for COVID-19 was insufficient, noting that while some regions, such as South Korea, New York City, and California, demonstrated high levels of readiness, others did not. In the context of bilateral relations, Dr. Chen identified disaster response as a primary area of solidarity between Taiwan and Türkiye, referencing the deployment of a Taiwanese search-and-rescue team following a significant earthquake. He proposed that this cooperation be expanded to include technical collaboration in earthquake engineering, disaster response systems, and professional training.

Conclusion

Dr. Chen concludes that global health systems remain vulnerable and that future pandemics are inevitable, necessitating continuous scientific research and international resource sharing.

Vocabulary Learning

atypical (adj.)
unusual / not representative of a type, group, or class非典型的
Example:The doctors were concerned when the patient presented with atypical symptoms that did not match any known strain of the virus.
cohesion (n.)
unity / the action or fact of forming a united whole凝聚力；團結
Example:Social cohesion is essential for a community to effectively follow collective health guidelines during a crisis.
efficacy (n.)
effectiveness / the power to produce a desired result效能；功效
Example:The efficacy of the new public health policy was evident in the rapid decline of infection rates.
solidarity (n.)
unity / mutual support within a group, especially among individuals with a common interest團結；一致
Example:The international community showed great solidarity by sharing medical resources and expertise during the pandemic.
stringent (adj.)
rigorous / (of regulations, requirements, or conditions) strict, precise, and exacting嚴格的；嚴厲的
Example:The government implemented stringent border controls to prevent the further spread of the contagious disease.

Sentence Learning

The efficacy of Taiwan's response to the COVID-19 pandemic is attributed by Dr. Chen to institutional reforms initiated following the 2003 SARS outbreak.
Reduced Relative Clause: The phrase 'initiated following' is a reduced passive relative clause (which were initiated), which serves to streamline the description of the reforms and increase lexical density.省略關係子句: 'initiated following' 是一個省略了被動語態關係代名詞及連繫動詞的子句（原為 which were initiated），作用在於精簡對改革的描述並提高詞彙密度。
Upon the identification of 27 reported cases in Wuhan, Taiwan implemented a border quarantine system for passengers arriving from that region.
Nominalization and Prepositional Phrase: The use of 'Upon the identification' replaces a temporal subordinate clause (e.g., 'As soon as they identified'), creating a more formal and objective academic tone.名詞化與介詞短語: 使用 'Upon the identification' 代替了時間從句（如 'As soon as they identified'），營造出更為正式且客觀的學術語調。
Dr. Chen emphasized that transparency and public communication were critical in securing the social cohesion necessary for compliance with health regulations.
Post-positive Adjective Phrase: The adjective phrase 'necessary for compliance...' follows the noun 'cohesion' directly, functioning as a concise alternative to a full relative clause.形容詞後置修飾: 形容詞短語 'necessary for compliance...' 直接置於名詞 'cohesion' 之後，作為完整關係子句的簡潔替代形式。
He cited a Lancet commission finding that global preparedness for COVID-19 was insufficient, noting that while some regions, such as South Korea, New York City, and California, demonstrated high levels of readiness, others did not.
Ellipsis: The sentence employs ellipsis at the end ('others did not'), omitting the repeated verb phrase 'demonstrate high levels of readiness' to maintain sophisticated brevity.省略結構: 句子末尾使用了省略法（'others did not'），省略了重複的動詞短語 'demonstrate high levels of readiness'，以保持進階寫作中要求的簡潔性。
Dr. Chen concludes that global health systems remain vulnerable and that future pandemics are inevitable, necessitating continuous scientific research and international resource sharing.
Participle Clause of Result: The present participle 'necessitating' introduces a logical consequence of the entire preceding clause, a hallmark of high-level synthesis in English writing.分詞短語表示結果: 現在分詞 'necessitating' 引導出前面整個子句的邏輯結果，這是英語寫作中高階綜合表達的標誌。