TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The American Institute in Taipei (AIT) on Friday (March 27) announced a collaboration with the Taiwan Fact-Check Center to combat disinformation amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The project, entitled “COVID-19: Just the Facts,” will feature a series of Facebook posts aimed to debunk misinformation surrounding the pandemic. The non-profit Taiwan Fact-Check Center has already joined hands with social media in removing accounts found to be distributing erroneous narratives.

The project is part of the de facto U.S. embassy’s efforts to support U.S.-Taiwan cooperation on many fronts in the fight against the Wuhan virus. The aim is to counter actors that seek to “exploit the current crisis to stoke anxiety and division within societies, and deflect blame away from irresponsible actors,” according to the AIT.

Acknowledging that repeating disinformation will only serve to spread rumors, the AIT has decided to provide factual information on topics identified by the fact-checking center as most vulnerable to disinformation campaigns.

The first post of the series addresses the source of the COVID-19 outbreak, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei province. The AIT criticized China’s censorship machine, which cost the life of whistleblower doctor Li Wenliang (李文亮), while at the same time lauding Taiwan’s transparent approach to the crisis, during which it has emerged as a role model for countries around the world.

The institute also shared an article carried by American news website Axios, which lists the major events in the coronavirus’ development in a timeline titled “The early days of China's coronavirus outbreak and cover-up.”

The AIT has vowed to work closely with Taiwan in the research and development of vaccines and medicine to counter the coronavirus. The U.S. and the island country will also exchange expertise in the manufacture of medical supplies and in case tracing technologies.