Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) yesterday met virtually with Guatemalan Minister of Foreign Affairs Pedro Brolo to discuss Central America’s issues as China pressures Taiwan’s allies in the region over COVID-19 vaccines.
Brolo said he was planning to visit Taiwan in the middle of this month, but had to postpone the trip due to the COVID-19 pandemic and his duty to handle vaccines in his country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Wu thanked the ally for repeatedly supporting Taiwan’s WHO bid, the ministry said, adding that the ministers also exchanged opinions over the pandemic situation in Guatemala as well as regional issues in Central America.
Wu reiterated Taiwan’s stance of working with like-minded countries to help Guatemala obtain COVID-19 vaccines through different channels.
Once Taiwan’s local vaccines enter mass production, it would send jabs to diplomatic allies, including Guatemala, to help them combat the pandemic, Wu said.
Taiwan has received about 310,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, while its local vaccines are not yet commercialized.
Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp and Paraguayan medical experts last month discussed carrying out clinical trials of the firm’s COVID-19 vaccine in the country.
The ministry said it is also in talks with Honduras about the country’s plans to procure COVID-19 vaccines.
The Honduran Ministry of Health on Monday said that El Salvador would help it buy COVID-19 vaccines from China.
On Tuesday, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez said the country could open a trade office in China to acquire the vaccines.
Hernandez said he would do as China has suggested and look for a “diplomatic bridge” to buy Chinese vaccines.
“We have asked Taiwan to help us talk with people in Washington, because we have been very close allies with the United States, and they have a huge number of vaccines that are going to expire,” Hernandez said.
Ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said in a statement yesterday that the government has communicated with the Honduran government about the vaccine issue, while Honduran Minister of Foreign Affairs Lisandro Rosales has reaffirmed ties with Taiwan.
Taiwan would do its utmost and work with like-minded countries to help Honduras alleviate its public health crisis, she said.
Following a vaccine crisis in Paraguay, the Chinese government is taking advantage of Honduras’ need for vaccines to pressure it into accepting its political and diplomatic conditions, she added.
The ministry condemns China’s “shameful” behavior of disregarding those countries’ humanitarian needs amid the pandemic, Ou said.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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