Taiwan criticizes China over Pfizer vaccine deal, and Wuhan lab theory irks Beijing
By Ciara Linnane
May 26, 2021
Tensions between Taiwan and Beijing flared on Wednesday when Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen accused China of blocking a deal Taipei was negotiating with Pfizer Inc. and German partner BioNTech to supply the island with COVID-19 vaccines.
Taiwan, which is grappling with a recent surge in new infections after enjoying months with zero cases, has outstanding orders for millions of vaccine doses from AstraZeneca and Moderna Inc. but has so far received about 700,000 doses and has only managed to vaccinate about 1% of its population of almost 24 million, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
