US Provides Janssen Vaccines to Korea and 2.5 Million Moderna Doses to Taiwan... What Is the Reason Behind This 'Generous Support'?

Medical staff are taking out a Moderna vaccine vial. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Amid fierce global competition to secure COVID-19 vaccines, the U.S. government has attracted attention by giving Taiwan a 'generous gift' of 2.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine.

According to Taiwan's Central News Agency on the 22nd, 2.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, provided free of charge by the U.S. government, arrived in Taiwan on the 20th.

This support from the U.S. is interpreted as indicating that Taiwan, the frontline of the intense U.S.-China new cold war and a key region in the semiconductor supply chain, is being regarded as strategically important.

Moderna vaccine supported by the U.S. government arriving in Taiwan. Photo by AP, Yonhap News Agency

Recently, the U.S. government announced plans to support a total of 80 million vaccine doses worldwide through direct aid and the international project COVAX.

So far, the countries that have actually received support are four: South Korea, Mexico, Canada, and Taiwan. Considering that Canada and Mexico share borders with the U.S. as a 'quarantine community,' South Korea and Taiwan appear to have become top priority recipients globally.

However, there are some differences in the vaccine support details for South Korea and Taiwan. The U.S. provided 1 million doses to South Korea, which has a population of about 51 million, but supported Taiwan, with a population of about 23 million, with 2.5 million doses.

There is also a difference in vaccine types. South Korea received the Janssen vaccine, which is less preferred in the U.S., while Taiwan was provided with Moderna products. Moderna, along with Pfizer, is an mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) vaccine that has been most widely administered in the U.S. Based on this, Taiwan has received a 'bigger gift' compared to South Korea.

Taiwan semiconductor foundry TSMC. / Photo by Yonhap News

This support from the U.S. is analyzed as an effort to check China's moves to expand its influence over Taiwan, the frontline of U.S.-China conflicts.

AP News analyzed, "The U.S. support of 2.5 million vaccine doses to Taiwan is to help Taiwan, whose quarantine situation has worsened since May, but on the other hand, it also supports Taiwan in resisting pressure from China."

Some suggest that the Biden administration has designated Taiwan, the center of the semiconductor industry, as a top priority support target to reorganize the supply chain of key industries such as semiconductors around its own country.

Taiwan is home to TSMC, the largest semiconductor foundry company, which plays a key role in the global semiconductor supply chain, and its importance is increasing day by day.