How quickly Taiwan can obtain the vaccine is not only an internal issue, but the vaccine issue also involves diplomatic offense and defense.
There are rumors that Honduras, Taiwan’s diplomatic partner in Central and South America, may break off diplomatic relations with Taiwan in order to obtain the Chinese vaccine if they do not receive help from the United States. On the other hand, Taiwan’s local epidemic (the Chinese communist virus) is feverish and the vaccine is a drop in the bucket. Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, who is hardest hit by the epidemic, said on the 19th, “So far the U.S. has not sold a single vaccine to Taiwan.” The cries of internal and external pressure have put considerable pressure on the Tsai government.
The Chinese Communist Party has no basis to accuse the U.S. of hoarding vaccines while it itself engages in vaccine diplomacy
Taiwan’s diplomatic partner Honduras to set up China office to exchange vaccines
Honduras may set up an office in China to procure vaccines for U.S. vaccine diplomacy
According to the Financial Times, the Honduran Minister of the Presidency (equivalent to the Chief Minister of the Cabinet) Carlos Alberto Madero revealed that he has now contacted Washington and received a promise from Washington to provide vaccines, but so far none have been received. Madero said that although U.S. President Joe Biden recently revealed that 80 million doses of vaccine would be released to Latin America, the United States has not proposed a specific timetable for Honduras.
Honduran President Benjamin Yenandez (R) and visiting Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen during a press conference at the presidential palace on Jan. 9, 2017. (AFP)
The Honduran official confessed that “Honduras wants to avoid damaging its longstanding ties with Taiwan, though obtaining a vaccine is more important than anything else.” Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez had said on the 11th that he “might set up a commercial office in China and ask Taiwan to get the vaccine from the US.”
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry stresses solid diplomatic relations with Honduras
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ou Jiang’an responded on the 19th that the governments of Taiwan and Honduras have fully communicated on issues such as vaccines, and that both sides are willing to continue to work together to overcome the challenges of fighting the epidemic in a spirit of mutual assistance and cooperation, and by combining the strengths of countries with similar philosophies.
Ou Jiang’an: “For the Chinese Communist Party still attempts to use vaccines as a way to force countries with urgent needs to exchange political and diplomatic conditions for benefits, disregarding the health and humanitarian needs of the people of Honduras, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs once again sternly condemns the shameful behavior.”
Ou further noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is pleased to see that the Hong Kong government has just announced a contract with Pfizer to purchase 4.4 million doses of vaccines.
Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Ou Jiang’an further pointed out that the Ministry is pleased to see that the Hong Kong government has just announced a contract with Pfizer to purchase 4.4 million doses of vaccines. (RFA file photo)
Taiwan’s former Foreign Ministry Minister Cheng Chien-yen analyzed in an interview with this station that international relations are all very realistic and speak of their own interests, and if the interests of engaging with China exceed those of Taiwan, the state diplomatic relations may fall over. So the government of the Republic of China is desperately trying to find ways to help Honduras, from the United States or other parties to fight for vaccines.
Cheng Jianren: “Even the cost of the vaccine may be under discussion as to who will pay for it. Frankly speaking, none of our 15 diplomatic countries are not thinking for themselves, how much we can help him and how much the mainland can help them. Now with the exception of the Holy See, even the Holy See is not exempt from the influence of the United States, some are U.S. trust territories, some are U.S. neighbors to the south, so all these countries are considering their interests.”
Cheng Jianren said that diplomacy is an extension of domestic affairs, and that much of diplomacy is about helping the country, not purely diplomacy. (Taiwan first)”, he suggested that Taiwan should “Taiwan first!
The streets of Taipei are almost empty of people and cars during lunchtime. (Reporter Huang Chunmei photo)
Xiang Zhuang dance sword, intended for the United States
DPP legislator Liu Shifang told the station that Taiwan will try to assist Honduras, but Taiwan’s own epidemic is running high, and Honduras is actually threatening the United States with such a statement. Liu Shifang asked rhetorically, does Honduras want to use China’s Kexin vaccine? “I should say that ‘Xiang Zhuang dances with the sword and intends to use it in the United States’. If the United States is willing to give it, they will definitely put it inside their list. But the diplomatic rhetoric of South and Central America in the bargaining may not be quite the same as we think, I think it doesn’t make much sense for him to use such a threat because you use China to threaten the United States today, playing this tactic is actually not that good.”
Not only the state diplomatic countries to pressure Taiwan, one of the hardest hit by the epidemic in Taiwan, the mayor of Taipei City, Ko Wen-je, also mentioned at a press conference on the 19th that no war is won with defense, no matter how much more epidemic prevention measures, or accidentally be broken through, especially after a long time everyone will be fatigued, like this epidemic came so ferociously, of course he also believes in the quality of the citizens of Taipei, believe in the medical capacity of Taipei, believe in the whole But the vaccine is the ultimate solution.
The streets of Taipei are almost empty of people and vehicles during lunchtime. (Photo by Huang Chunmei)
Taipei mayor complained that the United States did not sell vaccines to Taiwan
Ke Wen-je said, although many things do not want to give the central government too much pressure, but sometimes can not help but say, “so far, the United States has not sold any 1 vaccine to Taiwan”, the past COVAX to Taiwan 300,000, but COVAX to the world 300 million, before today (19), Taiwan only accounted for One thousandth, and the afternoon of the 19th came in 400,000 (AZ vaccine), depending on how the central government allocates, but we have 23 million people, only 700,000, only 350,000 people can play intact.”
The political party to which Ko belongs, Taiwan People’s Party legislator Qiu Chen Yuan also further pointed out in a press conference on the 20th, the ROC government proposed the expected procurement of 1981 million doses of vaccine, only 710,000 doses have been delivered, the ratio is only 3.6%, the original procurement plan includes 10 million doses of AZ vaccine, 5.05 million doses of Modena, 4.76 million doses of Covax and domestic vaccines, the whole progress is very slow. . “Many countries have taken the vaccine as the highest strategic guiding principle, you can see that our epidemic prevention for more than a year, the process and preparation in this part is seriously inadequate.”
Taipei Mayor Ko says the U.S. has not sold a single vaccine to Taiwan. (Courtesy of Taipei City Government)
Liu Shifang: Cai government’s biggest resistance to vaccine procurement is in the Chinese Communist Party blocking
Liu Shifang then explained that 400,000 doses of AZ vaccine given to Taiwan by Covax had arrived in Taiwan on the 19th, and in addition, Moderna in the U.S. had also sent samples to Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration for testing. “It’s just that the date of its arrival has to be highly confidential because every time there are these vaccines to be sent to Taiwan, China tries many ways to block them.”
Liu Shih-fang cited the example that, just like this time, Covax’s vaccine was also on the plane before the command center commander reported it to his chief. As far as she knows, Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare has maintained a high level of liaison with either foreign vaccines or domestic vaccines. Liu Shih-fang said, “The Tsai government has worked very hard because the difficulty he has to overcome is not in buying vaccines, but in the Chinese Communist Party blocking them.”
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