On September 9, Director-General Jonathan Sun of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Boston (TECO-Boston) visited the Saugus Senior Center to witness the donation of 2,500 surgical masks by the Brookline Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce (BTCC), represented by President Sharon Hong. Attending elected officials included Chairman Donald Wong of the Asian American Caucus, Massachusetts House of Representatives, and Saugus Board of Selectmen Corinne Riley (Vice Chairwoman), Debra Panetta, and Michael Serino.
As Saugus is at yellow COVID-19 alert level after previously being at red, the town has great need for personal protective equipment for senior citizens. Attendees thanked the BTCC for the timely delivery of life-saving masks, and expressed their appreciation to the Taiwan government and people for their selflessness.
Chairman Wong expressed his support for Taiwan’s ease of restrictions on American beef and pork imports beginning on January 1, 2021, paving the way for a potential bilateral trade agreement (BTA) between Taiwan and the United States.
Director-General Sun shared Taiwan’s successful pandemic response through the “Taiwan Model” with attendees and the Saugus Advocate, a local publication. He noted that Taiwan hopes to sign a BTA with the United States in the near future, further strengthening trade relations among Taiwan, the U.S., and Massachusetts. In a show of support, attendees wished Taiwan a happy birthday ahead of the 109th National Day of the Republic of China (Taiwan) on October 10.
