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* China's vaccine diplomacy hampering Taiwan, says minister
* German govt helping Taiwan's talks with Pfizer partner
BioNTech
* Japan "seriously and positively" considering donating
shots
* Taiwan infections spike, some 3% of population vaccinated
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By Ju-min Park and Mari Saito
TOKYO, June 3 (Reuters) - Taiwan is in talks with COVID-19
vaccine makers like Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson
for more supplies, its foreign minister said on Thursday
while expressing appreciation to Japan for considering donating
much needed shots.
Taiwan has been a model for how to control the pandemic, but
a recent spike in domestic infections has increased the need to
inoculate people faster.
During a video call with international media in Japan,
Foreign Minister Joseph Wu repeated complaints that China, which
claims the island as its own territory, has hampered efforts to
secure more vaccines, and kept Taiwan excluded from the World
Health Organisation.
So far, Taiwan has received only the Moderna Inc
and AstraZeneca Plc vaccines. But Wu said his government
was "negotiating with individual companies like Pfizer" and J&J,
while expressing confidence in its domestic vaccine rollout.
"When and if our own vaccines are rolled out toward the end
of July, I think this will become the most important supply for
the vaccine demand here in Taiwan," Wu said.
Johnson & Johnson was not immediately available for comment.
Responding to Reuters request for comment, Pfizer said: "As
Taiwan is outside the scope of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine
collaboration agreement with BioNTech, we will have to refer you
to BioNTech for any questions on this matter."
BioNTech did not immediately respond to a request for
comment.
Wu did confirm, however, that the German government has
helped with talks underway between Taiwan and BioNTech SE
, after a deal fell through earlier this year.
Taiwan had blamed China for blocking that deal. Beijing,
which has offered to supply Chinese-made vaccines as well as
BioNTech shots via the German firm's Chinese partner Shanghai
Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co Ltd, has denied that
accusation.
Wu also cited Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi as
saying that Japan is "seriously and positively" considering
donating vaccines to Taiwan.
"Taiwan and Japan are always very good partners. And in
times of difficulties, we always try to reach out to each
other," he said.
Some 3% of Taiwan's 23.5 million people have been
inoculated, and the government has been scrambling to ensure the
millions of vaccines it has ordered arrive on time amid global
shortages.
(Reporting by Ju-min Park and Mari Saito; Additional reporting
by Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Christian Schmollinger &
Simon Cameron-Moore)
