Why We Need a Vaccine Against Wolf-Warrior Diplomacy
Taiwan thought it had secured 5 million doses from BioNTech. Then “external forces” got in the way.
Taiwan has one of the world’s most effective programs against Covid-19.
Photographer: An Rong Xu/Getty
As governments around the world rush to administer Covid-19 vaccines to their citizens, Taiwan had an order for 5 million doses upended at the last minute. The troubled deal highlights the vagaries of surviving in a global community that largely excludes the democratically governed region at the behest of an increasingly assertive China.
Contracts to buy from Germany’s BioNTech SE and cover some of Taiwan’s 23 million people had been drafted and press releases were ready for publication when “external forces” stepped in last December, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung told a local radio station Wednesday. At the time, Taiwan was ready to announce it had secured those doses plus 10 million from AstraZeneca Plc and 5 million others through the international Covax program aimed at providing equal access to vaccines worldwide — two doses are required per person. Coupled with an expected supply of locally-developed vaccines, Taiwan estimates it would have 65% of the population covered.1