Lawmakers across party lines have voiced support and thanked the private sector for taking the lead in procuring vaccines on behalf of the government.
The Executive Yuan on Friday said it would authorize the Hon Hai Precision Industry Co-affiliated YongLin Foundation and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to represent the government in negotiations with BioNTech to purchase up to 10 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine produced in Germany.
The Cabinet’s announcement came after Hon Hai founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) expressed frustration on Facebook earlier that day over what he called the government’s continued hedging despite public support for his effort to donate 5 million vaccine doses to the public.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) said that the authorization aimed to encourage the two companies to obtain vaccines on behalf of the government.
In response to speculation that TSMC was included in the negotiations to counterbalance Gou, Lo said that “the government isn’t bringing in TSMC to oppress Mr Gou.”
DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said that TSMC has long been showing interest in helping the nation obtain vaccines and its latest efforts were not aimed at taking credit for Gou’s initiative.
The government would assist any company willing to help procure vaccines, Wang said, adding that Taiwan must be aware that its difficulty in buying doses on the international market largely stems from Beijing’s interventions.
New Power Party Legislator Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) said that TSMC’s effort is laudable, adding that the chipmaker’s credibility and clout would help during negotiations.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Charles Chen (陳以信) also voiced support for TSMC’s effort, but added that the government seemed to have double standards regarding the two firms’ efforts.
The government should not be biased when it comes to assistance to procure vaccines, he said, adding that the central government should also be open to initiatives by local governments with access to international vaccine suppliers.
Economic Democracy Union convener Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) wrote on Facebook that the authorization for the two firms was a “good move.”
TSMC’s clout in the semiconductor industry, especially amid a worldwide chip shortage, might help gain the German government’s support for Taiwanese efforts to buy BioNTech vaccines, Lai said.
Additional reporting by Chien Hui-ju
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