Tsai Ing-wen Photo:VCG

 
When the death toll caused by COVID-19 keeps increasing in Taiwan, and the people on the island suffer from vaccine shortages, the secession-minded Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has declared they will donate 300,000 doses of AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccines to countries like Honduras and Paraguay, which still maintain "diplomatic ties" with the Taiwan authorities, and the DPP even bribed certain officials from the countries to realize the plan, an exclusive source told the Global Times on Friday.   

The reason why Taiwan is suffering from vaccine shortages is obvious. The Chinese mainland has expressed its willingness to provide Taiwan compatriots with vaccines to deal with the emerging pandemic situation there, but the DPP refused the mainland's kind offer and even stigmatized mainland-made vaccines, which have been recognized by the WHO. It went even further to spread disinformation about "the mainland interrupting Taiwan's purchase of BNT vaccines." 

Taiwan is reportedly in the process of developing its own vaccine but according to local media, the vaccine is still in phase II clinical trials, far away from Phase III and nowhere near being finalized to be given to local residents. 

Despite the emerging situation, the DPP authorities are attempting to use AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccines to buy diplomatic favor, and use the lives of Taiwan people as bargaining chips to exchange political interests and use the COVID-19 pandemic to seek secessionism, which is categorically nasty and shameless, observers said.

Why are the DPP authorities being so "kind" while it faces a deepening vaccines shortage, using the vaccines that could save people's lives on the island to reinforce "diplomatic ties" with other countries? Following reports by the media can give an answer. 

Paraguay signed a contract with the United Arab Emirates to buy 1 million doses of the Chinese mainland-made Sinopharm vaccine on May 24. This will help the South American country restart its suspended nationwide vaccination plan. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government of Paraguay has considered cutting off "diplomatic ties" with Taiwan's DPP and setting up official ties with the Chinese mainland, according to the media report.