The law prohibits Taiwan from importing vaccines made in China and no scientific evidence has shown Chinese COVID-19 vaccines to be highly effective, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said yesterday.
Chen, who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), made the remarks in response to media inquiries about an interview given by Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), which was published online on Friday.
In the interview, Ko said that he expects political squabbles in March to center around Taiwan being unable to secure COVID-19 vaccines from the UK or the US, but having anxiety and debate over whether to accept vaccines from China, if Beijing offered them to Taiwan for free.
Photo: AFP
Ko added his prediction is that the COVID-19 situation will ease in August.
Asked to elaborate, Ko on Friday afternoon said that more than 20 percent of Israel’s population has been vaccinated, so it might become the first country to exit the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most vaccines remain in developed countries, so Taiwan would feel pressured when many countries begin vaccination programs by March, Ko said.
At the CECC’s daily briefing yesterday, Chen said that laws in Taiwan stipulate that it cannot import vaccines made in China.
“The effectiveness of Chinese [COVID-19] vaccines don’t seem to be particularly good,” Chen said, adding that no published technical reports or research papers have proven their effectiveness.
“From a legal perspective and a practical perspective, Chinese vaccines are not an option for us,” Chen said.
The center would continue to work on vaccine procurement and domestic vaccine development, he said, adding that people do not need to trouble each other over whether they should get a Chinese vaccine.
“If anyone thinks we should import Chinese vaccines, they can propose to amend the law, and can present scientific evidence proving that the vaccines are highly effective so that it can be discussed further,” Chen said.
Separately yesterday, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said that the government has confidence in its vaccine procurement and has purchased a certain number of doses.
Development of a domestic vaccine has also made some progress, so people do not need to worry, Su said.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
REWRITING HISTORY: China has been advocating a ‘correct’ interpretation of the victory over Japan that brings the CCP’s contributions to the forefront, an expert said An elderly Chinese war veteran’s shin still bears the mark of a bullet wound he sustained when fighting the Japanese as a teenager, a year before the end of World War II. Eighty years on, Li Jinshui’s scar remains as testimony to the bravery of Chinese troops in a conflict that killed millions of their people. However, the story behind China’s overthrow of the brutal Japanese occupation is deeply contested. Historians broadly agree that credit for victory lies primarily with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-led Republic of China (ROC) Army. Its leader, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a
RSS