Taiwan compatriots overseas given vaccine help by mainland

Thousands of Taiwan compatriots have received COVID-19 vaccines overseas through a program launched by the Chinese mainland to help Chinese citizens living overseas be inoculated, the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office said on Tuesday.

"No matter where Taiwan compatriots are, or what difficulties they encounter, the motherland firmly stands behind them and is ready to do its utmost to provide assistance, especially during the current global epidemic," said Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for the Taiwan affairs office.

According to incomplete statistics, more than 1.7 million overseas citizens in 160 countries have been inoculated with Chinese or foreign vaccines since the Spring Sprout program was launched in March, data released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week showed.

Countries offering vaccination arrangements for Taiwan compatriots include Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Bolivia, Brunei, Madagascar and Georgia, according to Zhu. 

The Chinese Embassy in Thailand has arranged for over 1,000 Taiwan compatriots in Thailand to get mainland vaccines in the country. The Chinese Embassy in Georgia coordinated with the Georgian government to make special arrangements for vaccinating Taiwan compatriots stranded due to the outbreak, Zhu said.

Taiwan compatriots living abroad can contact Chinese diplomatic missions for help through contact information published on their websites, she added.

The mainland has also assisted overseas Taiwan compatriots in fighting the epidemic through various channels, including by providing psychological counseling services, distributing epidemic prevention materials and arranging temporary flights back to the country, she added.