China gives vaccines to Taiwan to combat COVID-19
25 May, 2021
China on Monday (May 24) offered to urgently send COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan to greatly help it battle a sharp rise in coronavirus infections, drawing a great angry response from Taipei and a swipe from Washington, which said US vaccines did not have strings attached.
China and Chinese-claimed Taiwan have sparred repeatedly through the pandemic.
Taipei has accused Beijing of spreading fake reports and trying to limit its usage of the World Health Group (WHO), even though Beijing says Taipei is trying to politicise the pandemic for political gain.
After months of relative safety from the pandemic, Taiwan is working with a spike in COVID-19 cases and is rapidly performing out of vaccines, having received only slightly a lot more than 700,000 to date because of its more than 23 million people.
In a night time statement, China's policy-making Taiwan Affairs Office explained it was extremely worried about the epidemic currently "raging" in Taiwan, noting it had repeatedly offered help the island.
Certain groups and people in Taiwan have already been calling for the order of Chinese vaccines, it added.
"Our attitude is quite clear: We are willing to make plans quickly so that almost all Taiwan compatriots could have mainland vaccines to use at the earliest opportunity," any office said.
"If necessary, we are also ready to actively consider sending epidemic prevention and control authorities to Taiwan, to talk about anti-epidemic knowledge with Taiwan's medical and medical researchers."
"OBSTACLES"
But in response, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council said China had not used the existing channels between the two to provide info on its vaccines, and implied that Beijing was first behind Taiwan's difficulties found in getting more shots.
"Each and every time Taiwan's internal epidemic gets hotter, it (China) criticises our authorities for obstructing the import of mainland vaccines," it said in a affirmation sent to Reuters.
"The other side has learned what obstacles Taiwan is facing to obtain vaccines - everyone knows it. There's no level in saying any longer."
Taiwan has repeatedly said it generally does not trust Chinese vaccines, and has been angered with what it says are actually Beijing's attempts to obstruct its usage of the WHO, like the body's gross annual ministerial assembly that opened previously Monday.
A senior US administration official told Reuters that the "strong partnership in COVID-19" between Washington and Taipei would continue, and reiterated that america would hand out at least 80 million doses all over the world by end of June, more than either China or Russia.
"Importantly, our pictures don't come with strings attached," the official said, without giving facts on how many doses Taiwan might get.
"We're sharing vaccines with the environment, and leading the world in a global vaccine strategy because it's the right thing to do," the state said.
China, Russia and america have sought to help expand their countries' geopolitical clout through so-named vaccine diplomacy, though the Chinese government has repeatedly denied that it uses the photos to gain diplomatic advantage.
China sights Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and her ruling Democratic Progressive Get together as separatists bent on formally declaring the island's independence.
Tsai says China does not have any to speak for Taiwan and has denounced it for increased military activities nearby the island in the last year, that have continued even while Taipei battles increased COVID-19 cases.
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