Covid-19 vaccines the latest political crunch between China, Taiwan

In an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat Senior Correspondent Chandrakala Choudhury on China-Taiwan vaccine row, Namrata Hasija, a Research Associate with the Centre for China Analysis and Strategy explains why China is pushing the envelope on vaccinating the Taiwanese citizens and why the island nation wants to steer clear of the Chinese help.

New Delhi:The island nation of Taiwan which had one of the world’s best pandemic responses is currently grappling with an upsurge in covid cases and is in desperate need of vaccines.

As the country rushes to vaccinate its citizens to tackle the pandemic, the vaccine has become the latest flashpoint in the already existing rift between Taipei and Beijing.

Beijing has come forward to offer vaccines to Taiwan but the Taiwanese are sceptical of Chinese vaccines and the claims that Beijing has hampered its ability to procure and distribute more vaccine doses to its people, thereby delaying the vaccination drive.

To get an idea about the matter and the possible repercussion it could have on the domestic affairs of Taiwan as saying yes to Chinese vaccines would not be an easy decision for the island nation because both sides are political foes, ETV Bharat spoke to Namrata Hasija who is a Research Associate with the Centre for China Analysis and Strategy; President, Taiwan Alumni Association.

There has been a major political flashpoint between China and Taiwan in regards to vaccine supply and most recently, Beijing has offered vaccines to Taiwan but Taiwan seem to be adamant claiming that China has hampered its ability to procure and distribute jabs. Why do you think China is trying to stop the vaccine supply to Taiwan? Your take on what can we expect going further when it comes to the relation between the two

The first reason can be seen in the policy being pushed by Beijing that gives preference to COVID-19 vaccinations for Taiwanese in China, causing concern within the government of Taiwan that sees it as the new Chinese tool to win over the people of the island. The free-of-charge bid is made by China, which claims Taiwan as its territory, at a time when the democratic island has yet to initiate vaccinations of its own and the biggest deal to buy the vaccines have also been cancelled thanks to China. The Chinese also took this action to probably teach Taiwan a lesson which on 26 January 2021 reiterated a ban on imports of COVID-19 vaccines made in China, as repeated incursions by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) into its air defence zone in recent days stoked simmering regional tensions as reported by Radio Free Asia.

What is the current political scenario in Taiwan and should India review its relations with Taiwan to tackle China's growing hegemonic strategies and assertiveness?
India should review its relationship with Taiwan but not because of China’s growing assertiveness. It is time for India to stop looking at Taiwan through a Chinese prism; I have been saying this for 9 years now. Look at Taiwan as a country and built an independent relationship with Taiwan.

Do u think the International community has a role to play or will play a role in bringing a thaw in the relationship between the two rivalries- China, Taiwan
Honestly, as long as DPP (Democratic Progressive Party) is there, China will not talk to the Taiwanese government. The international community can play a limited role, as right now the international community itself is at loggerheads with China. Also, China does not see Taiwan as a rival; it sees it as part of their territory which changes the equation. On the other hand, Taiwanese people do not identify themselves as Chinese and they do not want to accept 'one nation two systems. They have seen what happened to Hong Kong and other than this nothing is acceptable to China. If you ask me personally, Taiwan has a unique identity because it is majority Hans and they are same ethnic group as Chinese, I have observed Taiwanese people very closely having lived there.

From the political point of view, can we expect a good and stable relation between Taiwan - China anytime soon?

No, with Xi Jinping in power and 'China Dream' to be fulfilled not! Chinese are growing aggressive with each passing day.

Do you see any possibility of Taiwan being a part of the Quad or for that matter will the quad embrace Taiwan?

Yes, I always support that to make Quad meaningful, Taiwan is a must other than Indonesia, Vietnam to name a few. Whether countries will accept is a little tricky as Taiwan does not have diplomatic relations with any of the nations. Not the Quad but Taiwan is important for the Indo-Pacific Strategy.

Your say on the role of the international community in responding to Taiwan's healthcare crisis amid the pandemic

The international community must stand up to Taiwan; it is high time they support Taiwan's entry to WHO (World Health Organisation) and other international organisations. How can the world ignore 23 million people's health and after Taiwan has helped many countries during and before the pandemic?

In the previous week, there has been much debate and discussion as Taiwan lambasted China over its continued exclusion from a crucial annual gathering of World Health Organization members which focused on forestalling the next coronavirus pandemic catastrophe. China has always tried and made the best possible efforts to dominate Taipei and its people - which it claims as part of its territory, to keep it secluded in the international arena. According to reports, adamant enough to not accept Chinese vaccines, Taiwan has now reached out to the United States for some of the 20 million doses of vaccines that Biden announced will be sent to countries abroad in July this year.

Notably, on 17 February this year, Taiwan’s Health Minister made it public that BioNTech backed out at the last minute. The only reason for this last-minute withdrawal is, of course, Germany’s Chinese partner i.e. Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical which might have opposed the deal.

Even though Fosun was not directly mentioned by the Taiwanese Health Minister, it is very clear when he stated that BioNTech cited challenges about the global distribution of coronavirus vaccine and internal disagreements among company leaders, which gives a clear idea of Fosun’s involvement in the deal’s cancellation.