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© Reuters.File photo: July 6, 2021, in a program at Sant Vicenc de Casteller, north of Barcelona, Spain, in which syringes containing Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are placed on a tray to fight the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) /Alber
Ben Blanchard and Li Yimou
Taipei (Reuters)-Taiwan’s TSMC and Foxconn said on Sunday that they are in the process of signing a contract to purchase the COVID-19 vaccine from Germany’s BioNTech SE (NASDAQ:), a long-term acquisition by Taiwan. And part of a highly politicized process. shooting.
The Taiwanese government has been trying to buy vaccines directly from BioNTech for months, and accused China of rejecting the agreement that the two sides had signed earlier this year. China claimed that Taiwan is its own territory. China denies these allegations.
Last month, in the face of public pressure on the slow progress of Taiwan’s vaccination program, the government agreed to let Taiwan’s Foxconn billionaire founder Guo Taiming and TSMC negotiate vaccines on its behalf. Will be donated to the Taiwanese government for distribution.
TSMC said in a statement: “There are multiple parties. We are in the process of signing the contract. Once the process is completed, we will make an announcement.”
Foxconn used almost identical wording in a separate statement. None of them are detailed.
Both companies are major suppliers to Apple (NASDAQ:).
BioNTech and Fosun did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A spokesperson for Guo Taiming said: “If there is further news, we will formally explain to the outside world.” She did not disclose details.
In an interview with reporters on Sunday, Premier Su Zengchang only said that vaccine negotiations are ongoing.
“Once there is a definite result, we will naturally report it to everyone.”
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that contract negotiations were “not 100% complete”, while another source said that although they are close to finalizing the deal, uncertainty still exists.
“It is becoming clear that it is not Taiwan that complicates the signing of the contract,” the second source said, referring to the additional “obstacles” set up by Beijing.
The Taiwan Affairs Office of China did not answer calls seeking comment outside of working hours on Sunday.
Fosun Contract
Sources previously told Reuters that Guo Taiming and TSMC this month reached a preliminary agreement with a subsidiary of Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd., which has signed contracts with BioNTech to sell COVID-19 vaccines in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. .
Both Guo Taiming and TSMC are seeking 5 million doses.
The BioNTech vaccine drama has shocked Taiwan and dominated the headlines. The Tzu Chi Foundation, a major Buddhist group in Taiwan, also tried to purchase these lenses. Pfizer (New York Stock Exchange:).
The Chinese government has repeatedly stated that if Taiwan wants a vaccine, it must respect business rules and do it through Fosun.
The German government is also involved, saying that it has been helping direct negotiations between Taiwan and BioNTech.
Taiwan has orders for millions of vaccines, mainly from AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:) Plc and Modern (NASDAQ:) Inc, and the United States and Japan jointly donated nearly 5 million doses of vaccine to the island to help speed up vaccination.
About one-tenth of Taiwan’s 23.5 million population has received at least one of two injections, although Taiwan’s own relatively small domestic coronavirus outbreak is now basically under control.
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