The 113th National Day of Taiwan was celebrated with great enthusiasm at a reception in the capital Ankara, where Taipei's extensive assistance in Türkiye's earthquake zone and trade ties, including drone sales from Türkiye and a major Taiwanese company opening a factory in Türkiye, were highlighted.
The event was attended by former Turkish Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Kasapoğlu, members of the parliament, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other central and local government agencies, the diplomatic corps, nongovernmental organization (NGO) partners and friends of Taiwan.
The Taiwanese ambassador, who has adopted the Turkish name "Volkan," gave his speech in fluent Turkish, both warm gestures but also showing the commitment and importance he places on relations between the two countries. The night also had a display of the artwork that children from the earthquake zone depicting their hopes and dreams, and feelings toward Taiwan. The works were touching and one could get a slight sense of some of the pain the children endured, but also provided a positive reflection of the humanitarian work Taiwan has done.
In his speech, Taipei Economic and Cultural Ankara Mission Representative Ambassador Volkan Chih-Yang Huang highlighted how the Taiwanese government swiftly mobilized search and rescue teams and resources, in the wake of the double earthquakes that struck Türkiye last February. The ambassador highlighted that beyond official efforts, the citizens of Taiwan also showcased their solidarity, generously contributing over $43 million (TL 851 million) to support Türkiye in its earthquake relief and recovery efforts.
Their efforts touched tens of thousands of people in the earthquake zone. Taiwanese medical assistance programs served more than 200,000 individuals until the end of April 2023, contributing to the nonstop service of medical care in the disaster area and supporting the prevention of the possible spread of infectious diseases.
Taiwan cooperated with Turkish NGOs such as the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) and the Association for Solidarity with Asylum-Seekers and Migrants (ASAM), and provided emergency health kits, mobile shower units, mobile laundry facilities, established psychological and health education counseling centers, and raised awareness among disaster victims of potential post-disaster infectious diseases. The East Asian country also donated 65 containers for container clinics in 13 locations in Hatay province and provided 14 mobile clinics to those earthquake-hit cities. Through these efforts, Taiwan continues to maintain a basic level of health care for at least 40,000 disaster victims.
In his speech, Chih-Yang continued: "The generosity of the Taiwanese people has enabled us to collaborate with Türkiye on 11 relief projects. These include early-stage emergency aid, psychological counseling, the provision of tents, hot meals, mobile showers and laundry facilities. We have also initiated midterm projects focused on medical recovery, educational support, assistance for people with disabilities, and preventive measures to enhance post-earthquake response capabilities. One of these initiatives is a drone-based project designed to address terrain damage caused by potential earthquakes and to facilitate large-scale search and rescue efforts. Currently, six of these projects, including collaborations with the municipalities of Ankara, Istanbul and Gaziantep, are still ongoing."
Investment in Türkiye
In addition to humanitarian aid, Taiwan continues to deepen cooperation with Türkiye in commerce, education, tourism and addressing climate change. In terms of economic and trade cooperation, there has been significant progress beyond the already strong sectors of machine tools and automotive parts, particularly in areas of energy, including wind power, electric vehicles, drones, semiconductors – in which Taiwan is a global leader and world's biggest supplier – and health care.
"I am pleased to share some examples such as we procured 160 'Jackal' drones from Türkiye, Taiwan Cement company significantly expanded cooperation with Oyak Group, and our machine tool giant, Yong Jin Machinery, just held a factory opening ceremony in Çorlu (Türkiye) at the end of September," Chih-Yang said.