With Covid-19 cases on the rise in Taiwan, Japan and the United States have donated close to 2 million doses of vaccine to the island.
Taiwan garnered much respect worldwide for its early and effective response to the Covid outbreak in 2020, and its success in limiting its spread. It has, however, struggled to get momentum behind its vaccine drive. Only about 3% of its 23.5 million people have received a shot, and most of these received only one dose where two are needed.
Taiwan has negotiated supply deals with a number of manufacturers but has yet to receive most of the vaccines. Taiwan’s government has alleged that China has interfered in this. China has offered vaccines to Taiwan, although these have not been cleared by Taiwan’s health authorities and accepting them would require a change in Taiwanese law. It would also amount to a propaganda coup for the mainland that has in recent years upped its bellicose approach to the island it claims as its own.
Last week, Japan announced that it would provide Taiwan with vaccines; a cargo of some 1.24 million arrived over the weekend. The US announced a donation of some 750 000 doses during a visit to the island by a bipartisan delegation from the US Senate.
Senator Tammy Duckworth said: ‘It was critical to the United States that Taiwan be included in the first group to receive vaccines because we recognise your urgent need and we value this partnership.’
Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-Wen thanked the administration of President Biden for the assistance. ‘I hope that through cooperation with the United States, Japan and other countries, Taiwan will be able to overcome the immediate challenges and … and move towards recovery,’ she said.
Neither the US nor Japan maintains official relations with Taiwan, but each has close de facto ties with it. The prospect of a confrontation with an increasingly assertive China has also led to some more overt expressions of support for the island nation.