Washington has shipped 2.5 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to Taipei, the US State Department spokesperson Ned Price tweeted on Saturday. The Moderna shots are set to arrive Sunday evening local time in Taiwan, according to the island’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The US senators who visited Taiwan to make the announcement arrived on a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III freighter. A primary strategic lift aircraft for the US military on a Taiwanese runway was seen as a major provocation to Beijing, as military tensions in the region heat up.
State-run nationalist tabloid Global Times said the move was “paving the way for the US and Taiwan to further escalate their collusion.”
After Saturday’s announcement, President Tsai expressed her gratitude to the Biden administration and bipartisan US Congress support on her social media platforms.
