Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), and the Hon Hai Precision Industry Co-affiliated YongLin Foundation yesterday said that they were about to sign procurement contracts with Germany’s BioNTech for its COVID-19 vaccine.
Facing public pressure about the slow pace of Taiwan’s inoculation program, the government last month allowed Hon Hai founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) and TSMC to negotiate on its behalf for the vaccines, which would be donated to the government for distribution.
“There are multiple parties. We are in the middle of the contract signing process. We will make announcements once the process is completed,” TSMC said in a statement.
The foundation used almost exactly the same wording in a separate statement.
Neither elaborated.
A spokesperson for Gou said: “When there is further news, we will formally explain it to the outside world.”
She gave no details.
In response to media queries yesterday, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said that talks on procuring the vaccine were ongoing.
“Once there is a definite outcome, we’ll naturally report it to everyone,” he said.
A source with knowledge of the matter told reporters that contract talks were “not yet 100 percent complete.”
Another source said that while they were close to finalizing the deal, uncertainties remained.
Gou and TSMC this month reached an initial agreement with a subsidiary of Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co, which has a contract with BioNTech to sell the vaccines in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and Macau, sources previously told Reuters.
Gou and TSMC are seeking to buy 5 million doses each.
The BioNTech vaccine drama has transfixed local media and dominated headlines.
The Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation is also trying to buy doses of the vaccine, which was developed jointly with US firm Pfizer.
Taiwan has signed contracts to purchase about 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from abroad, including 5.05 million doses of the Moderna jab, 10 million doses of the AstraZeneca jab and 4.76 million of unspecified brands through COVAX.
To date, only about 2.15 million ordered doses have been delivered, but Taiwan has received donations of 4.86 million doses from the US and Japan.
The government has also signed contracts to buy 10 million vaccine doses from two Taiwanese manufacturers, although they have only completed phase 2 clinical trials.
Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp last week said that it had applied to conduct phase 3 clinical trials in Paraguay, while United Biomedical Inc said it was seeking to do the same in India.
Additional reporting by CNA
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
POOR IMPLEMENTATION: Teachers welcomed the suspension, saying that the scheme disrupted school schedules, quality of learning and the milk market A policy to offer free milk to all school-age children nationwide is to be suspended next year due to multiple problems arising from implementation of the policy, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday. The policy was designed to increase the calcium intake of school-age children in Taiwan by drinking milk, as more than 80 percent drink less than 240ml per day. The recommended amount is 480ml. It was also implemented to help Taiwanese dairy farmers counter competition from fresh milk produced in New Zealand, which is to be imported to Taiwan tariff-free next year when the Agreement Between New Zealand and
Taiwanese professional baseball should update sports stadiums and boost engagement to enhance fans’ experience, Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview on Friday. The league has urged Farglory Group and the Taipei City Government to improve the Taipei Dome’s outdated equipment, including relatively rudimentary television and sound systems, and poor technology, he said. The Tokyo Dome has markedly better television and sound systems, despite being 30 years old, because its managers continually upgraded its equipment, Tsai said. In contrast, the Taipei Dome lacked even a room for referees
RSS