Taiwan named as a recipient of US vaccine donation

The U.S. announced Thursday it will soon distribute 25 million COVID vaccines across a wide range of countries, including Taiwan. This will be the initial tranche of an 80 million dose donation pledged by U.S. President Joe Biden. The shots will be sent from the U.S.'' surplus supplies of Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Through a spokesman, President Tsai Ing-wen thanked the Biden administration for its support for Taiwan.

Jen Psaki
White House press secretary
The president has announced a U.S. commitment to sharing a total of 80 million doses by the end of June. So that’s 25 million doses that will go out as soon as possible, very quickly. A number of those are even going to go out as soon as today.

The U.S. has unveiled a framework for distributing 80 million COVID vaccine doses globally, by the end of June. It’s set to donate 25 million doses in the first tranche. Six million of them will go to South America, 5 million to Africa and 7 million to Asia, including Taiwan. The donated vaccines will be those by Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

Jake Sullivan
US national security adviser
The United States is not asking anything of any country to whom we’re giving doses. We’re not seeking to extract concessions. We’re not extorting. We’re not imposing conditions the way that other countries who are providing doses are doing. We’re doing none of those things.

Wang Ting-yu
DPP lawmaker
Taiwan, the U.S. and Japan have developed a strong and powerful cooperative alliance. We can no longer describe it as a warming of ties. In the past, Taiwan was the supplier, be it of chips or as a key supply chain. Now, the U.S. and Japan are sharing their excess vaccines with Taiwan, making the international alliance more mutually beneficial.

Since the start of the outbreak in greater Taipei, China has worked to disrupt Taiwan’s vaccine procurement. Writing on Facebook, economics expert Hsieh Chin-ho said that in Taiwan’s hour of need, China had moved to cut off sources of vaccines, accusing Taiwan of trying to advance independence by getting vaccines. He wrote that China was only driving Taiwan farther away.

Lo Chih-cheng
DPP lawmaker
This episode only exposes China’s oppression of Taiwan on the international stage, including its interference in vaccine deals that Taiwan had already signed. Rather than talking the talk, why don’t they walk the walk? We call on China not to attach political preconditions or set up obstacles for Taiwan’s vaccine procurement.

Through a spokesperson, President Tsai expressed gratitude for the donation and for the support of the Biden administration and bipartisan American officials.

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