President Tsai sends condolences to Australia following severe flooding
In response to the recent flooding which has caused casualties and destruction in Queensland and New South Wales, Australia, and which broke a century-old single day rainfall record in Brisbane, with another round of heavy rains forecast to arrive in the area, Presidential Office Spokesperson Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said on March 7 that President Tsai Ing-wen expresses her sincere concern to the people and government of Australia, and sends her condolences to the victims and their families. President Tsai has also expressed her sincere concern to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and hopes that the prime minister recovers promptly from COVID-19 as he directs official disaster relief efforts.
Spokesperson Chang said that Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and Representative to Australia Elliott Charng (常以立) have conveyed their concern and condolences to the Australian government, and thanked frontline responders and rescue personnel for their efforts. While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not at present aware of any Taiwanese people who have been killed, injured, or trapped in the flooding, the president has instructed the ministry and our representative office in Australia to continue monitoring weather conditions in the days to come and provide all necessary assistance in order to ensure the safety of all Taiwanese expatriates in the country.
Noting that Taiwan and Australia are like-minded, democratic partners, and that this year marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Australian Office in Taiwan, Spokesperson Chang observed that over the past several years, Taiwan and Australia have enjoyed increasingly strong mutual support, cooperation, and friendship, and said that the people of Taiwan sympathize with all those in Australia affected by this natural disaster caused by extreme weather. Taiwan will continue to follow developments and recovery efforts in affected areas.