Three US Senators arrived in Taiwan to show the US’s commitment to Taiwan as it faces its biggest outbreak since the pandemic began and a shortage of vaccines. Taiwan has been seeing new daily cases of COVID-19 in the triple digits since May 15 and only about 3% of Taiwan's population has been vaccinated.
United States Senator Ladda Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced that the US will donate 750,000 COVID-19 vaccines doses to Taiwan.
At the press conference upon their arrival Sunday morning, Senator Duckworth said, “We are here to underscore the bipartisan support for Taiwan and the strength of our partnership. We are here as friends. We know that Taiwan is facing a challenging time right now. Friends come to each other’s aid.”
The donation is a part of the US’s plan to share 80 million vaccines globally. Their visit is also part of a larger visit to the Indo-Pacific region.
Duckworth also said they came to understand Taiwan’s needs and that President Joe Biden would ensure that Taiwan gets its shipment of safe and effective US vaccines as soon as possible. “The US will be by your side to make sure that Taiwan has what it needs to get to the other side of this pandemic and beyond,” she said.
Duckworth, who is an Iraq War Veteran, also said that it was personally important for her to support another democracy as her mother left Guangdong, China to escape communism.
US Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) highlighted the US’s commitment to the region.
Sullivan spoke of the US's long history of commitment to democracy and security in the region. He said that he was deployed to the Taiwan Strait as part of the US Marine Corps amphibious task force on the eve of Taiwan’s first presidential election in 1996. “That was an important demonstration of American resolve and commitment to Taiwan’s security, prosperity and democracy.”
Sullivan also expressed the US commitment to Taiwan to resist all types of coercion. He said that the US commitment to Taiwan is “rock-solid” and bipartisan as shown by their bipartisan delegation. He said this support also extends to the health of people of Taiwan.
The three senators thanked Taiwan for the 10 million masks that Taiwan sent to the US during its time of need.
US Senator Christopher Coons (D-DE) said that he serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and chairs the appropriations subcommittee that is funding vaccine distribution to the world.
Coons said the US wanted to show that it will come to Taiwan’s aid at this time. The donation to Taiwan is a part of the first batch of the 80 million vaccines the US is giving out globally.
Coons also spoke of an act in the Senate that will be voted on this week: the US Innovation and Competitiveness Act. He said the act makes clear the strategic importance of the US-Taiwan relationship, the urgency of investing in innovation and taking steps like this vaccine donation to strengthen the relationship.
Duckworth and Sullivan are members of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Coons is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The three are all strong supporters of Taiwan.
The three senators met with President Tsai Ing-wen on Sunday morning at the Songshan Airport in Taipei. In footage released by her office, Tsai told the senators, "The vaccines are timely rain for Taiwan, and your assistance will be etched on our hearts."