Lithuanian Minister for Foreign Affairs Gabrielius Landsbergis on Tuesday last week announced that his country would donate 20,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Taiwan.
In his announcement, Landsbergis stressed that “freedom-loving people should look out for each other.”
What makes this gesture even more valuable is that the WHO on the same day announced that 28 people in Lithuania, a country of 2.8 million, on the previous day tested positive for COVID-19. This is equivalent to one infection per 100,000 people.
On the same day, Taiwan posted 78 new cases, which is roughly equivalent to one per 300,000 people, a mere one-third of the Lithuanian infection rate.
Against this backdrop, Lithuania’s vaccine donation is indeed a very precious gift.
Taiwan last year donated 100,000 masks to Lithuania. That the European country not only returns the favor, but also lets its foreign minister announce the donation, regardless of the possibility that it could spark Chinese pressure, adds another dimension to the donation.
It is indeed like Confucius said: “Virtue does not stand alone. It is bound to have neighbors.”
When Taiwan is able to help others, it is happy to do so in the spirit of “Taiwan can help.”
Now that Taiwan is in need, Japan, the US and Lithuania have extended a helping hand, helping to build a virtuous circle.
Certain acidic remarks, like calling Taiwan a “vaccine beggar,” only highlight the speaker’s narrowmindedness, and failure to understand the international situation and inability to understand human goodness.
Huang Wei-ping is a former think tank researcher.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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