Amidst Accusation Of China Scuttling Its Attempts To Secure Covid-19 Vaccines, Taiwan Receives 750000 Doses As Donation From US

U.S has announced that it would donate 750,000 doses of covid-19 vaccines to Taiwan.

The donation was announced by US senator Tammy Duckworth on Sunday, speaking at Taipei’s downtown Songshan airport after arriving on a brief visit with fellow senators Dan Sullivan and Christopher Coons.

"I'm here to tell you that the United States will not let you stand alone," Duckworth said at the airport after landing on a U.S. military transport plane. "We will be by your side to make sure the people of Taiwan have what they need to get to the other side of the pandemic and beyond."

The island nation is struggling to control a surge in infections. Only 3.2% of 23.5 million Taiwanese have received one dose of Covid-19 vaccine.

On Friday, China’s foreign ministry criticised Japan for its donation of 1.2m doses. As a goodwill gesture, Japan delivered to Taiwan 1.24m doses of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine. The doses donated will serve a big boost to Taiwan's struggling vaccination drive.

China has offered Taiwan Chinese-made vaccines, but the government has repeatedly expressed concern about their safety, and in any case cannot import them without changing Taiwanese law, which bans their import.

Taiwanese leaders favour more autonomy for the island. Beijing continue to maintain a position that Taiwan is part of its own territory, and wants it to unify with the mainland.