Taiwan accuses “external forces” of interference in difficult vaccine supply | Taiwan News

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A technician inspects vials filled with Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. A technician inspects vials filled with Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. (photo AP)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan’s Continental Affairs Council (MAC) said Monday, July 12 that if there was less interference from outside forces, it would be much easier for the country to get vaccines.

After weeks of negotiations, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Foxconn Technology announced Monday that they have finally reached an agreement with Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group to each purchase 5 million doses of BioNTech vaccine.

The MAC said the Cabinet revealed the terms and timing of the supply agreement. The vaccines will be produced by BioNTech in Germany and carry the company’s official label before being shipped directly to Taiwan, the council added. The Central Epidemic Command Center also expressed its gratitude on behalf of the government to all parties involved, the Liberty Times reported.

The MAC said that even with cooperation between the government and the private sector, purchasing foreign vaccines still involves complex medical and legal procedures, adding that the process – from signing the contract to receiving the vaccines – is arduous. . If there was a reduction in “outside forces of interference and obstruction,” Taiwan could buy vaccines much more easily, the council said.

Meanwhile, China’s Taiwan Affairs Bureau spokesman Ma Xiaoguang () said the Shanghai Fosun deal was good news for “Taiwan compatriots” suffering from the epidemic and frantic. for vaccines, according to the Liberty Times. He also said the vaccines came a bit late, adding that if Taiwanese authorities had taken into account the lives, health and well-being of Taiwanese, the issue could have been resolved sooner.

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