The Biden administration will share part of its COVID-19 vaccine supply and provide relief to Taiwan, a move supported by a bipartisan cadre of Congress. The island is widely regarded as a success story in dealing with the pandemic, but in recent weeks, it has been fending off its largest outbreak to date.
President Joe Biden announced in May he would share some 80 million vaccine doses with other countries and unveiled on Thursday that Latin America, the Caribbean, South and Southeast Asia, and Africa would be prioritized.
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The White House said the United States would send 7 million doses to Asia, including India, the Philippines, Thailand, and Taiwan.
Rep. Andy Barr, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, praised the decision to include Taiwan. The Kentucky Republican spearheaded a bipartisan letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken last month, requesting the prioritization of Taiwan in the country’s sharing of vaccines.
“Time and time again, Taiwan has proven to be a great partner on global health, trade and so many other issues. I am proud to have led the effort to deliver excess vaccines to Taiwan to help them turn the corner in their time of need,” Barr said in a statement.
Bi-khim Hsiao, Taiwan’s ambassador to the U.S., said she was “grateful” Taiwan is included in the U.S. global vaccine distribution plans.
Taiwan has experienced an uptick in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks and has vaccinated only 1% of its population of more than 23 million people, according to Reuters.
Brent Christensen, the top U.S. diplomat in Taipei, said he was confident Taiwan will be able to corral its spike, especially once its vaccine supply expands.
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On Thursday, Taiwan’s foreign minister, Joseph Wu, said Tawain is having discussions with Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson for more supplies while accusing China of disrupting its efforts to obtain more vaccines.
The mainland Chinese regime has never controlled Taiwan, the last refuge of the forces defeated when the Chinese Communist Party came to power in 1949, although it claims the island as its own territory.
