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Covid-19 vaccine maker BioNTech says it still plans to supply doses to Taiwan
- German company makes assurance after Taiwanese health minister said deal had stalled, suggesting interference from mainland China
- Taiwan was expected to sign a contract last month for 5 million doses, but said BioNTech halted it at the last moment
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A deal for German pharmaceutical firm BioNTech to supply Taiwan with 5 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine could still be clinched despite possible pressure from Beijing.
In a statement late on Wednesday, BioNTech said it was planning to provide vaccines to Taiwan, hours after Chen Shih-chung, the island’s health minister, implied that the company may have come under political pressure to halt the deal when it was about to be confirmed.
“BioNTech is committed to [helping to bring] an end to the pandemic for people across the world and we intend to supply Taiwan with our vaccine as part of this global commitment,” the company said. “Discussions are ongoing and BioNTech will provide an update.”
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Taiwan was about to sign a contract with BioNTech for the vaccine supplies last month, but the company called off the deal at the last minute, citing “internal disagreements and challenges about the global distribution of the vaccine”, according to Chen.
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Although Chen did not say directly that Beijing was to blame, he implied there was a political dimension to the decision.
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