Japan enters Taiwan-China fight with Covid-19 vaccine shipments to Taipei

Donating the vaccines to Taiwan could irritate China, Japan's biggest trading partner.

Japan announced Friday it was sending some of its Covid-19 vaccines to Taiwan, which has been struggling to procure its own supplies and blamed China for impeding shipments of the shots.
 

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters Japan plans to provide about 1.24 million doses of the AstraZeneca Plc vaccine free of charge. The shipment was expected to arrive on a flight later Friday and Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered its appreciation in a statement.

Motegi reiterated that Taiwan has an urgent need for supplies of the vaccine as Covid spreads and domestic production is not set to be