Germany’s foreign minister on Tuesday accused China of tying the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to political demands.
German Minister of Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas said that China and Russia had been good at publicly promoting the delivery of their vaccines to other countries, but also pursued other aims in doing so.
“We note, in particular with China, that the supply of vaccines was also used to make very clear political demands of various countries,” he said.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Speaking to reporters during a trip to Kalamazoo, Michigan, where Maas visited a Pfizer Inc production facility, he added that such behavior should be rejected.
“In order to prevent this from happening in the first place we don’t just have to criticize it, but we have to ensure that the affected countries have alternatives,” he said.
“Those alternative are the vaccines we have available, and which we, of course, want to make available to as many countries and regions in the world as possible,” Maas said. “[That way] the Russians and the Chinese can’t continue to conduct their difficult vaccine diplomacy in this fashion, which only has the purpose of increasing their own influence and not necessarily to save people’s lives in the first instance.”
While he did not provide any specific examples, Taiwan has accused China of using the delivery of its shots to pressure countries into dropping their support for Taiwan.
Chinese officials have claimed that their country is providing COVID-19 vaccines to nearly 40 African countries, but said that this was being done for purely altruistic reasons.
Last month, diplomats in Geneva, Switzerland, said that China had pressured Ukraine into withdrawing its support for a call for more scrutiny of human rights in Xinjiang, China, by threatening to withhold Chinese-made vaccine doses.
In response to Maas’ comments, Democratic Progressive Party spokesman Chou Chiang-chieh (周江杰) said that the party has consistently asserted that “vaccines should not be used as a political tool by any country.”
“As Taiwan confronts the difficult situation of vaccines and diplomacy, people should understand that China and its co-conspirators in the country are using the vaccine issue to create chaos and achieve their political aims,” he said.
The people and the government of Taiwan remain committed to overcoming obstacles in vaccine procurement, he said, adding that public-private cooperation has led to progress toward that goal.
The party categorically denies allegations that the government has in any way impeded private initiatives to buy vaccines, he added.
“Remarks to the effect that the government is blocking vaccine imports or that a shortage of doses is due to the government not doing enough are absurd — and they should stop,” he said.
Chou also slammed Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), who reportedly gave Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) a basket of flowers with a message full of Chinese proverbs.
“Chiang made a joke of himself by misusing proverbs, but, understandably, the party chairperson elections are making him nervous,” Chou said.
Additional reporting by Jonathan Chin and CNA
PATROL PARTNERS: The ‘Chiayi’ and the ‘Penghu’ departed for a two-day joint patrol of Palau’s exclusive economic zone, the CGA’s second diplomatic visit to the country The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) set a record for its southernmost deployment of a coast guard vessel as the vessels Chiayi and the Penghu reached Palau’s Pulo Anna Island on Saturday in a cooperative exercise between the two countries. The island, about 217 nautical miles (401km) southwest of Koror in the Palauan state of Sonsorol and 1,220 nautical miles from Taiwan’s southernmost point, Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), is the furthest south a CGA vessel has sailed. The two vessels are in Palau for the coast guard’s second diplomatic visit to the country. They docked at Malakal Harbor on Tuesday last week. The coast guard
BATCH 1: The military has plans to assign the weapons to the army to defend Taiwan proper, as well as outlying islands and the navy for the Marine Corps, the official said Taiwan is to receive 500 Stinger missiles and 178 launchers from the US by the end of the year, the first batch under a planned two-stage acquisition totaling 2,621 missiles and 763 launchers, a defense official said yesterday on condition of anonymity. The portable missiles would play a vital role in the nation’s air defense capabilities, the source said. The army plans to deploy 2,235 missiles and 657 launchers to defend Taiwan proper and outlying islands, they said, citing military documents. The navy is allotted 295 missiles and 85 launchers to arm the Marine Corps and some surface vessels that lack air defense
The European Parliament on Wednesday adopted a recommendation on EU-China political relations that rejected China’s efforts to restrict Taiwan’s participation in international organizations and exchanges. The recommendation, addressed to the European Council, the European Commission and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, includes several references to EU-Taiwan relations and expresses support for closer ties, saying they would bring positive benefits and have strategic importance. Describing Taiwan as a valuable partner in trade and technology, the European Parliament said it “rejects China’s attempts to coerce international organizations, third countries and other actors into restricting Taiwan’s international participation and
The government is monitoring online rumors that a pneumonic plague outbreak has spread from Russia into China, and it might enhance quarantine measures, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. During a legislative meeting, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said that rumors had circulated that the disease had spread across several Chinese provinces. He asked Cho whether the government was prepared to prevent the disease spreading to Taiwan, given the volume of traffic between the two sides, and how concerned the government was about the alleged outbreak. The Ministry of Health and Welfare had implemented border quarantine measures after briefing the Executive
RSS