Tropical storm set to affect outlying islands tomorrow

A tropical depression near China’s Guangdong Province is expected to be upgraded to a tropical storm, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday, adding that it would begin affecting Taiwan’s outlying islands tomorrow. The expected tropical storm would be named Lupit, which means “cruelty” in Filipino. Based on data collected by the bureau and other meteorological agencies, the tropical depression is likely to be upgraded to a tropical storm by today, weather forecast center specialist Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said, adding that it is expected to move east before turning north. The tropical storm would be in the Taiwan Strait from tomorrow to Saturday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, Wu said. The system would cause the southwest wind to continue to be the dominant force affecting the weather in Taiwan, bringing showers and thundershowers to central and southern areas, she said. “Residents in central and southern regions should beware of damage caused by short bursts of intense rainfall, and chances for heavy or extremely heavy rainfall are also high,” Wu said. “Intermittent to heavy rain is forecast for northern and eastern regions.” A large low-pressure system is hovering in the northwest Pacific Ocean, making it easier for tropical systems to develop, she said, adding that the bureau has also identified low-pressure areas in the East China Sea, and off the northern and eastern coasts of Taiwan. The bureau would closely monitor the subsequent development of these low-pressure areas, as they could affect the weather in Taiwan, she added.

By Shelley Shan

Afghan army tells civilians to flee city under siege

Residents of a besieged Afghan city were urged to evacuate yesterday as the army prepared a major offensive against Taliban insurgents after three days of heavy fighting. The Taliban have seized control of much of rural Afghanistan since foreign forces began the last stage of their withdrawal in early May, but are now focused on capturing provincial capitals, where they are meeting stiffer resistance. Fighting is raging for Lashkar Gah, the capital of southern Helmand Province, with the UN saying yesterday that at least 40 civilians had been killed in the previous 24 hours. General Sami Sadat, commander of the 215 Maiwand Afghan Army Corps, told residents to get out as soon as they could. “Please leave as soon as possible so that we can start our operation,” he said in a message to the city of 200,000 delivered via the media. “I know it is very difficult for you to leave your houses — it is hard for us, too — but if you are displaced for a few days please forgive us,” he added. “We are fighting the Taliban wherever they are. We will fight them and ... we will not leave a single Taliban alive.” Officials earlier said that insurgents had seized more than a dozen local radio and TV stations in the city, leaving only one pro-Taliban channel broadcasting Islamic programming. “Deepening concern for Afghan civilians ... as fighting worsens,” the UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan wrote on Twitter. “UN urges immediate end to fighting in urban areas.” “Fighting was intense this morning,” said Sefatullah, director of Sukon radio in the city. He said US and Afghan planes had pounded Taliban positions, and fighting was ongoing near the city’s prison, as well as a building housing the headquarters of the police and intelligence agencies. The US military has intensified airstrikes across the nation this week in

First local vaccine batches ready: FDA

MEDIGEN: The Central Epidemic Command Center plans to wait until about 500,000 to 600,000 doses have passed testing before offering it in the vaccination program

The inspection of the first four batches of the domestic COVID-19 vaccine has been completed and the doses are ready to be rolled out, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. The inspection of the four batches of the vaccine made by Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp (高端疫苗), a total of 265,528 doses, was completed on Friday last week and they are being sealed at a designated warehouse in preparation for use, FDA Research and Inspection Division head Wang Teh-yuan (王德原) said. The sealing was expected to be completed yesterday evening, he said. The Medigen vaccine, the first protein-based COVID-19 vaccine to be made available in Taiwan, would be good for six months before they expire, he added. Medigen secured an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the vaccine from the FDA on July 19. It took the FDA about one month to carry out the inspection of the first four batches of the protein-based vaccine, which is different from the spike-protein-based AstraZeneca vaccine and the mRNA-based Moderna vaccine previously received from overseas, Wang said, adding that the inspection took longer than the other two vaccines, including 21 days in animal testing to ensure its efficacy. The Central Epidemic Command Center said that the Medigen vaccine would be offered in the national vaccination program when there is a sufficient number of doses. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said it would be difficult to distribute the vaccine when there are so few doses available, adding that the center would wait until about 500,000 to 600,000 doses have passed testing before offering it in the program. Asked whether the Medigen vaccine went into mass production and lot release testing before it received an EUA, Chen said that the EUA would not have been issued just because the product had gone into mass production, adding

By Lee I-chia

Dine-in to resume in Taipei, New Taipei City, Yilan

Restaurants, night market food vendors and food courts in Taipei, New Taipei City and Yilan County can accept dine-in customers from today, provided that they strictly adhere to disease prevention regulations. Restaurants elsewhere in Taiwan resumed dine-in services on Tuesday last week when the Central Epidemic Command Center lowered the COVID-19 alert to level 2. Taipei and New Taipei City cooperated on the decision to lift the dine-in ban as residents frequently travel between the two cities, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday. The Yilan County Government later yesterday also announced it would lift the ban from today. However, Hou said that New Taipei City could reimpose the dine-in ban if the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 spreads or there is a surge in domestic cases, adding that people should wear masks in public places. If a restaurant has workers or customers who contract the virus, it would be ordered to suspend operations for three days and would not be permitted to accept dine-in customers for 11 days after it resumes operations, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said. Restaurants, night market food vendors and food courts in Taipei and New Taipei City should strictly adhere to disease prevention regulations, the two city governments said, adding that eateries should arrange checkerboard seating for diners or place partitions on tables. Should dine-in customers wish to share their meals, service personnel should divide each dish into small portions before serving it to customers, they said. The number of indoor customers should be capped at 50 and outdoor customers should be capped at 100. If restaurants want to accommodate more customers, they must implement measures to separate customers, and ensure that they enter and exit separately, the Taipei City Government said, adding they must also seek approval from the Taipei Department of Health. Dining areas should be adequately ventilated, with tables being

By Lin Shin-han and Cheng Ming-hsiang

MAC looks to protect trade secrets

NATIONAL SECURITY: A proposed bill would require those whose work involves national core technologies to receive approval before being permitted to visit China

Officials are drafting an amendment to the law that governs relations with China in a bid to prevent the theft of technology trade secrets, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The proposed amendment to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) would require those whose work involves national core technologies to receive approval from a committee before being permitted to visit China. Those visiting China without such approval would face a fine of NT$2 million to NT$10 million (US$71,602 to US$358,012) under the proposed amendment, the council said. The draft amendment is intended to protect the nation’s economic competitiveness and would primarily focus on those working for companies that receive government subsidies or are commissioned by the government to undertake projects, it said. Those working with core technologies who fall under the amended regulations would continue to require approval for travel to China for up to three years after they leave or are fired by their employer, the council said. The approval committee would be comprised of members of the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the National Security Bureau, the Mainland Affairs Council and other government agencies, it said. The Ministry of Science and Technology would deliberate on the specifics of what is to be designated as a national core technology, it added. Those granted approval to visit China would need to submit a report upon their return and those failing to do so would be fined between NT$20,000 and NT$100,000, the council said. “The law already requires government officials and people working with state secrets to receive approval before visiting China. This amendment simply adds those working with core technologies,” a source said yesterday. “This is to protect national security and the economy. We have to ensure that these core technologies don’t get leaked,” the

By Chen Yu-fu and William Hetherington

HK singer Wong is charged with ‘corrupt conduct’

Hong Kong’s anti-corruption watchdog yesterday charged singer and prominent democracy advocate Anthony Wong (黃耀明) with “corrupt conduct” at a 2018 election rally, the latest legal action against dissent by authorities in the Chinese-ruled territory. The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in a statement said that Wong had provided “entertainment to induce others to vote” for democracy advocate Au Nok-hin (區諾軒) in a 2018 Legislative Council by-election. “At the rally, Wong performed two songs on stage. At the end of the performance, he appealed to the participants of the rally to vote for Au at the election,” the ICAC wrote, adding that he had breached the Elections Corrupt and Illegal Conduct Ordinance. If convicted, Wong could be jailed for up to seven years and fined HK$500,000 (US$64,317), the ordinance says. Wong, 59, who first came into the public limelight with pop duo Tat Ming Pair in the 1980s, could not immediately be reached for comment. Au, who went on to win the election, was also charged. Both are due to appear in court on Thursday to plea. Au was not available for comment. He was jailed for 10 months in April for organizing an unauthorized assembly. Au was also arrested with 46 other prominent democracy advocates this year for alleged conspiracy to commit subversion under the National Security Law introduced in June last year that outlaws “secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign collusion.” The Hong Kong government says the pro-democracy protests threatened stability in the former British colony and the action taken against various people since then is necessary to uphold the law. A popular songwriter known for his poignant lyrics, Wong was a strong supporter of Hong Kong’s 2014 pro-democracy “Umbrella movement” and the 2019 anti-China protests. He is also a vocal advocate of LGBT rights. During the performance for Au in 2018, according to a video of it posted on Facebook, Wong

US, UK join Israel in accusing Iran of deadly ship attack

Israel’s key allies, the US and UK, joined it on Sunday in blaming Iran for a deadly tanker attack off Oman, despite Tehran’s denials, and Washington vowed an “appropriate response.” The US and UK statements came after Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that there was “evidence” linking Iran to the attack after Tehran rejected its archfoe’s “baseless accusations.” The MT Mercer Street, managed by prominent Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer, was attacked off Oman on Thursday last week. A British security guard and a Romanian crew member were killed in what the US, the UK and the vessel’s operator, Zodiac Maritime, said appeared to be a drone strike. Israel had blamed Iran, with Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Yair Lapid on Friday last week saying that he had ordered the nation’s diplomats to push for UN action against “Iranian terrorism.” Tehran on Sunday denied involvement, with Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh saying that Israel “must stop such baseless accusations.” “Iran will not hesitate for a moment to defend its ... interests and national security,” he told journalists. Shortly afterward, Bennett accused Iran of “trying to evade responsibility for the event” in a “cowardly manner.” “I determine, with absolute certainty, that Iran carried out the attack against the ship,” Bennett said. “The intelligence evidence for this exists and we expect the international community will make it clear to the Iranian regime that they have made a serious mistake. In any case, we know how to send a message to Iran in our own way.” British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Dominic Raab said London believed that the attack was “deliberate, targeted and a clear violation of international law by Iran,” and “UK assessments” showed Iran used “one or more UAVs [uncrewed aerial vehicles]” to target the tanker. “Iran must end such attacks, and vessels

Heavy rain triggers floods, landslides

SOAKED: Although rain in central and southern Taiwan is to ease today, chances of heavy or extremely heavy rain would be high in the morning, a CWB forecaster said

Extreme torrential rain brought by a southwesterly jet stream yesterday wreaked havoc in central and southern Taiwan, causing flash floods and triggering mudflows and landslides in mountainous areas. By 5pm yesterday, the Central Weather Bureau’s observation station in Yuyoushan (御油山) in Kaohsiung’s Liouguei District (六龜) had registered accumulated rainfall of 726.5mm since 12am on Saturday, the highest among the bureau’s observation stations. It was followed by the observation station in Kaohsiung’s Maolin District (茂林), which recorded accumulated rainfall of 671.5mm over the period. Six of the 10 observation stations that recorded the highest accumulated rainfall yesterday were in Liouguei, bureau data showed. The Kaohsiung City Government had on Saturday night made an emergency announcement canceling work and classes yesterday in anticipation of torrential rain. Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mei (陳其邁) yesterday visited Yongan District (永安) and two other locations hit by flash floods triggered by the rain. He said the city has secured a budget of NT$350 million (US$12.52 million) to improve a local drainage system, adding that flooding in Yongan would be addressed once construction is completed by the end of next year. Flash floods were also reported in Tainan, as well as Changhua, Yunlin, Chiayi and Pingtung counties. Bureau forecaster Liu Yu-chi (劉宇其) said the rain brought by the southwesterly jet stream fell mostly in areas south of Taichung. In addition to continuous rainfall, residents in these areas also experienced short bursts of intense rainfall, Liu said, adding that 90mm of rain fell within one hour in mountainous areas in Tainan and Pingtung County. Although the rains in central and southern Taiwan would gradually ease, as the southwest jet stream turned south last night, chances of heavy or extremely heavy rain remain high this morning, Liu said. Southwesterly winds would remain strong and continue to affect the nation this week, he said,

By Shelley Shan

COVID-19: CECC reports 12 cases, two deaths

CRUCIAL PROTECTION: Changes could be made to an online vaccine registration system to make it more accessible for elderly people, the health minister said

The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 12 locally transmitted COVID-19 infections and two deaths, and urged four groups of people who are eligible to receive the second dose of the Moderna vaccine to register online before noon tomorrow. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said six of the local infections tested positive during or upon ending isolation. The infection sources of eight cases have been identified, while one remains unclear and three are under investigation, he said. Chen said six cases were reported in New Taipei City, four in Taipei and one case each in Taoyuan and Taichung. The CECC reported two imported cases from India and Mexico. It also said two people with underlying health conditions had died of COVID-19. Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), deputy chief of the CECC’s medical response division, said one of the deceased was a man in his 60s who had chronic diabetes, hypertension, hepatitis and spondylitis, and was living in an institution. He said the man on Tuesday underwent testing as a close contact of a confirmed case, and was hospitalized after the result came back positive the next day. He died on Friday, which is a case of rapid deterioration after hospital admission, Lo said. Chen said people who are in the top three priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination, as well as pregnant women, who received the first dose of the Moderna vaccine at least 28 days before Wednesday next week should register for the second dose using the national vaccination booking system before noon tomorrow. Local governments have voiced concerns that some elderly people might lack the skills to register and make appointments online. Chen said the issue was discussed at a meeting with the Cabinet on Saturday. Officials at the meeting decided that the system should

By Lee I-chia

Tai Tzu-ying wins silver medal in Olympic final

Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎), world women’s singles No. 1 badminton player, yesterday won the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in the women’s singles competition. Chen Yufei (陳雨菲) of China won the gold medal 21-18, 19-21, 21-18 in 81 minutes. It is the 27-year-old Tai’s first Olympic medal. She was knocked out in the round-of-16 in her previous two Olympics: London 2012 and Rio 2016. Taiwanese gymnast Lee Chih-kai (李智凱) yesterday at the Tokyo Olympics won Taiwan’s first-ever silver medal in the men’s pommel horse event. “I have done my best, I have no regrets,” Lee said. Lee scored a total of 15.400 points — 8.700 for execution and 6.700 for difficulty — in his routine at his second Olympics. The 25-year-old gymnast said his silver medal win in Tokyo has helped him to finally move past his performance in the 2016 Rio Games, when he fell from the pommel horse. That mishap had cast a shadow over him ever since, he said, adding that he was grateful for the constant encouragement and confidence of his coach, teammates and support staff. Max Whitlock of the UK, the gold medalist in the event at the 2016 Rio Games, defended his title, scoring 15.583 points. On Monday last week, Taiwan’s men’s gymnastic team failed to advance from its 10th place among the 12 teams in the competition. As of yesterday, Taiwan had won 10 medals — two gold, four silver and four bronze — at the Tokyo Games, its highest number ever.

Myanmar junta chief vows new elections in two years

Myanmar’s junta chief yesterday said that elections would be held and a state of emergency lifted by August 2023, extending the initial timeline the military gave when it deposed Burmese State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi six months ago. The country has been in turmoil since the army ousted the civilian leader in February, launching a bloody crackdown on dissent that has killed more than 900 people, according to a local monitoring group. A resurgent COVID-19 wave has also amplified havoc, with many hospitals empty of pro-democracy medical staff, and the World Bank has forecast that the economy will contract by up to 18 percent. In a televised address, Burmese Army Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said the military would “accomplish the provisions of the state of emergency by August 2023.” “I pledge to hold multiparty elections without fail,” he added. The general’s announcement would place Myanmar in the military’s grip for nearly two-and-a-half years — instead of the initial one-year timeline the army announced days after the coup. The State Administration Council — as the junta calls itself — also announced in a separate statement that Min Aung Hlaing had been appointed as the prime minister of the “caretaker government.” The army has justified its power grab by alleging massive fraud during last year’s elections, won by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) in a landslide, and has threatened to dissolve the party. Last week, the junta canceled the results of the polls, announcing that it had uncovered more than 11 million instances of voter fraud. Aung San Suu Kyi has been detained since Feb. 1 and faces an eclectic raft of charges, from flouting COVID-19 restrictions to illegally importing walkie talkies, which could see her jailed for more than a decade. International pressure, including sanctions targeting the military, has done little to knock the junta

Afghan forces try to thwart Taliban assaults on cities

Afghan government forces yesterday struggled against Taliban assaults on several major cities as the insurgents stepped up a nationwide offensive that saw a key airport in the south come under rocket fire overnight. Hundreds of commandos were deployed to the western city of Herat, while authorities in the southern city of Lashkar Gah called for more troops to rein in the assaults. Fighting has surged across the country since early May, when US-led foreign forces began a final withdrawal from Afghanistan that is almost complete. After seizing large tracts of rural territory and capturing key border crossings, the Taliban have started assaulting provincial capitals with grueling onslaughts. Flights out of Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second-largest city and the former stronghold for the insurgents, were halted after rockets struck the airport before dawn. Airport chief Massoud Pashtun said two rockets had hit the runway and repairs were under way, with planes likely to resume service later yesterday. The facility is vital to maintaining the logistics and air support needed to keep the Taliban from overrunning the city, while also providing aerial cover for large tracts of southern Afghanistan. The attack came as the Taliban inched closer to overwhelming at least two other provincial capitals, including nearby Lashkar Gah in Helmand Province. “Fighting is going on inside the city and we have asked for special forces to be deployed,” Ataullah Afghan, head of the Helmand provincial council, told reporters. Afghan security forces have increasingly relied on airstrikes to push the militants back from cities even as they run the risk of hitting civilians in heavily populated areas. “The city is in the worst condition. I do not know what will happen,” said Halim Karimi, a resident of Lashkar Gah, a city of 200,000 residents. “Neither the Taliban will have mercy on us, nor will the government stop bombing.” Further west in Herat, fighting continued on

Lee Yang, Wang Chi-lin win gold

A TAIWAN FIRST: The duo are the first badminton players from Taiwan to climb an Olympic podium, and Tai Tzu-ying has a shot at doing the same today

Taiwanese badminton duo Lee Yang (李洋) and Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) yesterday won the nation’s first Olympic gold medal in the sport when they prevailed over a third-seeded Chinese pair in the final of the men’s doubles at the Tokyo Olympics. Lee and Wang, both first-time Olympians, defeated Liu Yuchen (劉雨辰) and Li Junhui (李俊慧) 21-18, 21-12 in a 34-minute final at the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza. As of yesterday, Taiwan had bagged seven medals in Tokyo — two golds, two silvers and three bronzes — topping its previous best of five medals in 2000 and 2004. Taiwan moved to No. 17 in the medals count on the Tokyo Olympics Web site. China, Japan and the US placed first, second and third respectively. Earlier, Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎) knocked India’s Pusarla V. Sindhu out of the women’s singles semi-finals in a clash between two of badminton’s best players. In the first game, which world No. 1 Tai won 21-18 against Rio de Janeiro silver medalist and seventh-ranked Pusarla, the pair were evenly matched. However, Tai picked up the pace in the second game, finishing Pusarla off 21-12 in 19 minutes. “I reduced my mistakes and therefore didn’t have as much pressure on me,” Tai said, adding that she was not yet nervous about playing in today’s final against China’s second-ranked Chen Yufei (陳雨菲), but probably would be just before the match. “I need to go back and relax and prepare for tomorrow, because it’s not over yet,” Pusarla said, with her eye on bronze in a match against China’s He Bingjiao (何冰嬌). Chen overcame teammate He in the other semi-final in a battle of wills that the former won 21-16, 13-21, 21-12 and celebrated with a roar. Earlier on Saturday, 34-year-old Kevin Cordon, who at age 12 moved from rural Zacapa in Guatemala to the capital city to pursue his dreams of

Groups urge changing name of Olympic team

‘TEAM TAIWAN’: Taiwanese athletes have performed admirably and raised the nation’s profile, but many abroad still think they are Chinese, an advocate said

Advocacy groups have called for the national team to compete under the name “Taiwan” at the Tokyo Olympics, while former Olympian Chi Cheng (紀政) has launched another referendum petition on the issue. Taiwanese athletes have performed outstandingly at the Olympics and have raised the nation’s profile on the world stage, Northern Taiwan Society chairman Lee Chuan-hsin (李川信) said on Friday. “Many foreign news agencies, including Japan’s NHK, have called our delegation ‘Taiwan’ instead of ‘Chinese Taipei.’ Therefore our own people and politicians should also speak of ‘Team Taiwan’ and Taiwanese athletes,” he said. “However, in Taiwan, most of the time the Taiwanese team is still referred to as Team Zhonghua (中華, Chinese). We see the medal-winning athletes returning home and holding media briefings at the airport without any wording, symbols or logos to represent Taiwan,” he added. The advocates released a joint statement, expressing their gratitude to the international community for supporting the nation’s athletes, but added that “it shows the need to avoid a mix-up, as some have mistaken Taiwanese athletes as coming from China.” “Therefore we are organizing the ‘Call Us Team Taiwan, Let’s Go Taiwan’ drive, and we urge people to join us,” the statement said. The drive urges people to produce their own “Call Us Team Taiwan” posters, sign boards and adverts to show the world they feel proud to support Taiwanese athletes. The groups also called on Taiwanese politicians and public figures to support “Team Taiwan,” and not to refer to it as “Chinese Taipei” anymore. Among the groups promoting the drive are the Taiwan Society, the Asia-Pacific Liberal Women Association and the Taiwan Association of University Professors, as well overseas organizations, including the All Japan Taiwanese Union, the Friends of Taiwan Association Japan, the World Federation of Taiwanese Associations and the Taiwanese Association of America. Meanwhile, Chi has this week announced that she

By Jason Pan

China snapping up drug rights in Taiwan

CALL FOR INTERVENTION: Granting exclusive drug distribution rights in a nation to its political and military adversary it ethically problematic, a legislative bureau said

Chinese companies have over the past five years obtained exclusive distribution rights in Taiwan for 29 percent of new pharmaceuticals, the Legislative Yuan said, urging the government to intervene, as it said the issue extends far beyond Chinese agency over the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Right of agency for drug distribution has received widespread attention this year, after Germany’s BioNTech inked a deal with Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group (上海復星醫藥集團) to develop and distribute its COVID-19 vaccine in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and Macau. This has complicated Taipei’s efforts to procure the vaccine. Private entities have stepped in to purchase doses to donate to the government, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電), the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation and the Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密)-affiliated Yonglin Foundation. In a report dated Monday, the Legislative Yuan’s Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Bureau decried the arrangement as unreasonable. “Requiring South Korea to purchase vaccines through a North Korean distributor or Israel to go through a Palestinian firm would be preposterous,” the report said. Granting exclusive distribution rights in a nation to its political and military adversary is ethically problematic, it said. Due to the antagonism and mutual distrust between the two nations, it is highly unlikely that they would complete a contract and instead use it as a tool for political manipulation, it added. This would further hinder transactions and jeopardize the right to healthcare of the “represented country,” the report added. Right of agency over pharmaceuticals has long been an issue, the bureau said. Over the past five years, Chinese firms have obtained exclusive distribution rights to Taiwan for 29 percent of new pharmaceuticals, posing an increasingly serious problem that cannot be ignored, it said. The bureau recommended that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and national security agencies intervene in China’s attempts to monopolize Taiwan’s pharmaceutical market. Using appropriate channels, officials should

By Chen Yun and Kayleigh Madjar

Donated jabs arrive from Lithuania

The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday said 20,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine donated by Lithuania have arrived in Taiwan. It also reported 11 locally transmitted COVID-19 infections, but no deaths. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said it is grateful to Lithuania for its donation and that the shipment arrived in Taiwan at about 10:30am yesterday. He said more than 239,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered on Friday, adding that the vaccination coverage rate in Taiwan has reached 32.82 percent. As the nation’s stock of the AstraZeneca vaccine has been running low and a few local governments have temporarily suspended vaccinations for a few days, the CECC was asked whether the next round of vaccinations would be postponed and whether local vaccine maker Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp’s (高端疫苗) vaccine would be offered to the public. The next round of vaccinations would still be held according to schedule, even though the supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine is relatively low, Chen said, adding that the Medigen vaccine would not be administered yet, and it might be offered after its production becomes more stable. The CECC said the 11 local cases were five men and six women aged between 20 and 70 who developed symptoms from Friday last week to Friday. Six of them tested positive during or upon ending isolation, Chen said, adding that the infection sources of seven cases have been identified, while two remain unclear and two are under investigation. New Taipei City reported the most cases, with six, followed by Taipei with four and Chiayi County with one, Chen said. “The number of daily reported cases with unknown infection sources has been below 10 for more than 20 days,” he said. “This is a good sign.” Regarding a cluster infection reported on Friday among factory workers and their

By Lee I-chia

China outbreak spreads, Brisbane enters lockdown as WHO sounds alarm on Delta

Mushrooming outbreaks of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 prompted China and Australia to impose stricter COVID-19 curbs yesterday, as the WHO urged the world to contain the mutation before it turns into something deadlier and draws out the COVID-19 pandemic. China’s most serious surge of coronavirus infections in months spread to two more areas yesterday — Fujian Province and the megacity of Chongqing — in an outbreak that now spans 14 provinces. More than 200 cases have been linked to a Delta cluster in Nanjing, where nine cleaners at an international airport tested positive. “The main strain circulating at present is the Delta variant ... which poses an even greater challenge to virus prevention and control work,” Chinese National Health Commission spokesman Mi Feng (米鋒) said. The nation where the disease first emerged has rushed to prevent the highly transmissible strain from taking root by putting more than 1 million people under lockdown and reinstituting mass testing campaigns. Worldwide, coronavirus infections are once again on the upswing, with the WHO announcing an 80 percent average increase over the past four weeks in five of the health agency’s six regions, a jump largely fueled by the Delta variant. First detected in India, the strain has now reached 132 countries and territories. “Delta is a warning: It’s a warning that the virus is evolving, but it is also a call to action that we need to move now before more dangerous variants emerge,” WHO Health Emergencies Program executive director Michael Ryan told a news conference. Both high- and low-income countries are struggling to gain the upper hand against Delta, with the vastly unequal sprint for vaccines leaving room for variants to wreak havoc and further evolve. In Australia, where only about 14 percent of the population is jabbed, the third-largest city of Brisbane and other parts of Queensland state