Japan, U.S. Vaccines Aid Should Make Tsai Administration Ashamed

United Daily News Commentary, June 4, 2021

The 1.24 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines donated by Japan arrived in Taiwan June 4, while the United States committed to donate 7 million doses of vaccine to Asian countries including Taiwan. With a pandemic surge and social uproar demanding vaccines, vaccine donations by Japan and the United States are helpful in terms of alleviating the anxiety of Taiwanese people. The donations are also timely godsent assistance to the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen, the reputation of which has fallen to the bottom. 

The United States is a major vaccines power and possesses the technical expertise behind vaccine development. It is true that the United States rushed to order vaccines  internationally very early on and is a key player of “vaccine nationalism” which has contributed to unfair global distribution of vaccines. But today, the United States, while strategically suppressing the “vaccine diplomacy” of China and Russia, is donating 80 million doses of vaccines, which is worth recognizing. As to Taiwan which has procured U.S. arms and consumed beef containing the controversial feed additive ractopamine, the people are watching with eyes wide open to see how many doses of vaccine they may receive from the United States.

Let set aside for now to talk about the United States and Japan who have surplus of vaccine to donate to the world and Taiwan. The Tsai administration’s wrong vaccine policy is a stark contrast. While Taiwan is happy to welcome the donated vaccine, the Tsai administration incredibly does not have slightest shame.  

To Japan’s donation of vaccine, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shi-chung, who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), stated on May 28 that if Japan would like to donate, it should deliver the vaccines soon; otherwise, it would be meaningless. A week later, the vaccines arrived in Taiwan unexpectedly.

However, Minister of Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi of Japan confirmed that his coordination set June as goal of vaccine delivery to Taiwan, because after July, Taiwan might be ready to produce its own vaccine. Minister Motegi stated that Taiwan has urgent demand for the time being. His remarks indirectly responded to president Tsai’s declaration that vaccination with local vaccine would start by the end of July and the remark by Minister Chen that the plan to have ten million doses of vaccine by the end of August including local produced vaccine. Minister Chen said that the government has been working hard but lacks a more precise description as to the time frame.  

In other words, the 1.24 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine donated by Japan is a timing relief to assist solving Taiwan’s urgent demand without derailing the local vaccine plan convoyed by the Tsai administration. Japan is able to donate vaccine abroad because it has rushed to over purchase 364 million doses of vaccine from three pharmaceutic companies. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines which are currently being inoculated have sufficient doses for Japan’s population of more than 120 million. As to the 120 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines, which have blood clot concerns, although excluded from government-funded vaccines, still can be donated to the world and Taiwan.

Relatively, in the beginning, the Tsai administration was complacent of its pandemic prevention achievement through border closedown, didn’t proactively procure vaccine from overseas; then procurement of vaccine contract signing failed under political and factional interest intervention; and its fully supported local vaccine production development lagged behind, as a result when Europe and the United States began to remove lockdown after widespread vaccination, pandemic in Taiwan hit its apex, but it is hard for Taiwan to get a dose of vaccine.  

Above all, the Tsai administration repeatedly treat indifferently with civil groups like Buddhist organization Fo Guang Shan and Foxconn founder Terry Gou to procure vaccine overseas and fully support local vaccine production. President Tsai further announced vaccination with local vaccine would start by the end of July even the local vaccine was yet unblinded in second clinical study. The CECC might cooperate to deprive Taiwanese of the right to choose vaccine. Local vaccine should be fostered, but the Tsai administration did this wrongly at the cost of lives of Taiwanese people. 

Even not to talk about the surplus of vaccines in the United States and Japan, it highlighted the failed vaccine policy of the Tsai administration intensified the current pandemic disaster. The donation of vaccines by the United States and Japan is “timely rain” to the Taiwanese people, while the Tsai administration, crushed by popular grievance, still conducts itself like a lively dragon, despite over 100 people have already died in vain.  

From: https://udn.com/news/story/11091/5510129

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