Taiwan will discuss relaxation of vaccine trade in negotiations with the U.S. Reuters

Taipei (Reuters)-Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen said on Tuesday that Taiwan will discuss with the United States during trade talks with Washington this week to relax the import and export of COVID-19 vaccines, which will help control the pandemic.

The two sides are scheduled to resume long-standing trade discussions on Wednesday as Washington seeks to deepen support for the islands claimed by China, while Taiwan is dealing with a series of domestic COVID-19 cases.

In a speech at the office, Tsai Ing-wen said that the trade and investment framework agreement negotiations (TIFA) will include what she called “important” topics.

“That is to simplify the import and export process of vaccines and other medical supplies. This substantive cooperation will bring important help to our current epidemic. I have asked our negotiating team to go all out,” Cai said.

“If the epidemic in Taiwan is brought under control and economic fluctuations are reduced, it will further contribute to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.”

Taiwan is a major producer of semiconductors. Although the COVID-19 epidemic in the island has not had a significant impact on supply, the global shortage of semiconductors has caused repercussions on a global scale.

So far, the island has received 4.85 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, of which Japan has donated 1.24 million doses and the United States has donated 2.5 million doses. Japan has pledged to provide another 1 million, while Lithuania has provided 20,000 to Taiwan.

When asked whether the US sent large doses to Taiwan in exchange for securing semiconductor supplies, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters: “There should be no such suggestion. I will notice that they are cutting off access to vaccines. .”

The administration of US President Joe Biden has stated that China has used the opportunity to obtain vaccines to engage in political coercion worldwide, including “shameful” attempts to prevent democratic Taiwan’s ability to purchase vaccines.

China denies that it has tried to prevent Taiwan from buying vaccines from Germany’s BioNTech SE (Nasdaq:), saying that the vaccine can be obtained free of charge through Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd., which has signed a contract for the sale of BioNTech vaccines with Hong Kong, China. Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

Another 410,000 doses Modern (Nasdaq:) Deputy Interior Minister Chen Zongyan said earlier on Tuesday that the company’s COVID-19 vaccine will arrive in Taiwan on Wednesday as part of its direct order from the company for 5.05 million doses of the vaccine.

Only about 8% of Taiwan’s 23.5 million people have received at least one of the two injection regimens against COVID-19, and the government has been under pressure to expedite the delivery of the millions of vaccines it has ordered.

When asked whether the government-run research center is negotiating with Moderna on the production of a COVID-19 vaccine, Minister of Health Chen Shizhong said that the government “will not give up any opportunities” and is currently reviewing its vaccine production capacity for international companies.

“We are reviewing the relevant capabilities, willingness and division of labor in the country. This will allow the negotiation to proceed smoothly,” Chen said at the daily news conference, but did not provide details.

The domestic virus outbreak in Taiwan is under control, but it remains vigilant about the few cases of highly contagious delta variants in southern Taiwan.

The island reported 54 new domestic infections on Tuesday, down from 60 a day ago. This is the smallest single-day increase since May 15 when the government raised Taipei and its neighboring cities after a sudden surge in domestic cases. The alert level.