Taiwan to Donate Face Mask Production System to Czech Republic

A Tainan-based automation equipment manufacturer said Tuesday it will donate a 3D surgical face mask production system to the Czech Republic, helping the European country combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Autoland Technology Co., Ltd. General Manager Kuo Li-lin said the system, which consists of five fully-automated high-end 3D mask production lines, will be jointly donated by his company and a group of machinery industry leaders in southern Taiwan.

The system, which costs US$1.52 million, can produce 43,000 masks per day. It will be completed by the company and sent to the Czech Republic before the end of October, Kuo added.

Read: China Issues Travel Advisory for Czech Republic

Kuo said the decision to donate the equipment to the European country was made after a Czech delegation headed by Senate President Miloš Vystrčil visited Taiwan earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che, who visited the company Tuesday, praised the donation as a perfect example of how Taiwan companies are willing to offer humanitarian assistance to others and a model for “people-to-people diplomacy.”

The face masks produced by the Taiwan-donated system are scheduled to be used by frontline healthcare workers in the Czech Republic, he added.

Read: ‘I Am Taiwanese’: Czech Senate Speaker Channels JFK in Taiwan Speech

The landmark trip came amid strong condemnation from China, which sees Taiwan as part of its territory, to be reunited with one day and opposes any official contact that could be seen as elevating Taiwan’s status to that of an independent nation.