Taiwan has joined the global COVID-19 vaccine procurement platform COVAX, the World Health Organization has confirmed.

The platform has been joined by 159 countries and economies including Taiwan, who is not a WHO member, said WHO director-general senior advisor Bruce Aylward. China may provide vaccines to the WHO after negotiations, according to the organization.

Taiwanese health minister Chen Shih-chung has said that Taiwan would not procure Chinese-made vaccines for COVID-19. The opposition Kuomintang Party accused the ruling Democratic Progressive Party of putting politics over public health.

COVAX is led by the WHO and two other organizations with the aim of increasing the speed of COVID-19 vaccine development and production, as well as ensuring fair distribution of vaccines for countries and regions.

KMT lawmaker Cheng Li-wun said on Saturday that out of the nine vaccines that have entered phase three clinical testing, four were made in China. She questioned why the DPP had rejected Chinese-made vaccines, and whether it would increase the risk of not being able to purchase vaccines for Taiwan.

There are two types of procurement contracts for COVAX, with one being that COVAX distributes vaccines to members, and the other meaning members can choose vaccines. It was worrying that Taiwan chose the latter, as the DPP administration was not proficient in negotiating international contracts, Cheng said.

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