Taiwan: a visit by US senators that could provoke Beijing's ire

The delegation of American senators arriving in Taiwan on June 6, 2021. AFP - ADEN HSU

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After Japan which announced on Friday to donate more than a million doses of vaccines to Taiwan, it is the turn of the United States to come to the aid of their ally.

Taiwan has long been set up as a model of good management of the epidemic but has seen the number of cases skyrocket in the past two weeks.

A delegation of American senators arrived this Sunday in Taipei where it announced a donation of 750,000 doses of vaccine against Covid-19.

The visit risks provoking Beijing's ire.

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The visit to Taiwan of three US senators, two Democrats and a Republican did not go unnoticed.

In any case, a photo taken on the tarmac is likely to offend Beijing.

The delegation poses greeting the photographers alongside the Taiwanese Minister of Foreign Affairs in front of a gigantic US Air Force device.

Thanks

Unusual fact on the part of the United States which therefore decided to send official officials to Taiwan aboard a military plane, when the country severed diplomatic relations with Taipei in 1979, in order to recognize Beijing as the sole representative official from China.

The senators then met the Taiwanese president who thanked the Biden administration for placing Taiwan among the priority countries to receive doses of vaccines, as part of the Covax international distribution system.

" 

Lifebuoy

 "

A gesture hailed as a " 

lifeline

 " that the country " 

will not forget

 ," said Tsai ing-wen.

The island of 23 and a half million inhabitants has so far received only some 900,000 doses of vaccine and accuses China of having scuttled all its attempts to order vaccine from the laboratory.

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See also: Japan challenges China by sending more than a million vaccines to Taiwan

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