Foreign Minister Joseph Wu is thanking the United States for sending much-needed COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan. The shipment of 2.5 million doses arrived in Taiwan on Sunday afternoon, more than doubling Taiwan’s total vaccine supply. It was Taiwan’s largest single delivery of vaccine doses to date. The shipment was also more than three times larger than the 750,000 doses initially promised by US officials.
The foreign minister took to Twitter to express his gratitude via the official foreign ministry account. In the tweet he says, “I’m moved by the arrival of the vaccine doses. When Taiwan faces tough times, the US always helps out.”
The foreign minister says the donation will save many lives and is another example of the firm friendship between the two countries.
Wu’s tweet includes a photo of Health Minister Chen Shih-chung standing next to the United States’ representative to Taiwan, AIT Director Brent Christensen. The two are standing on the runway in front of the plane that delivered the vaccines, holding signs thanking the United States for the shipment.
In a press release on Sunday night, the foreign ministry said that the government and people of Taiwan will never forget the United States’ kind gesture.
Meanwhile, US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price also tweeted about the vaccine shipment. He says the US-Taiwan health partnership helped save lives in the United States. Price also says that the State Department is “proud to support US President Joe Biden’s commitment to helping the world defeat COVID-19”.