The Sun Section: International Business Ad Value: RM 4,337 13-Jul-2021 Size : 169cm2 PR Value: RM 13,011

Foxconn, TSMC secure BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in US$350m deal Foxconn, TSMC secure BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in US$350m deal

TAIPEI： Taiwan's Foxconn and TSMC said directly from the German factory, I believe will yesterday they had reached deals to buy 10 million help Taiwanese society to increase confidence and doses of Germany's BioNTech SE's Covid-19 offer respite in the face of the epidemic.” vaccine, putting the total cost at around US$150 Taiwan's Cabinet said the vaccines would be miUion (RM1.46 billion). donated for free to the government. Taiwan's government has tried for months to Cabinet spokesman Lo Ping-cheng said buy the vaccine directly from BioNTech and has BioNTech signed the contract on Sunday blamed China for nixing an agreement the two afternoon, and that the government was already sides were due to sign earlier this year China looking to broaden vaccine purchases, including denies the accusations. buying 15 million "next generation“ Modema Inc Last month, facing public pressure about the shots for next year and the year after slow pace of Taiwan's inocuhtion programme, the The BioNTech vaccine drama has transfixed government agreed to allow Foxconn's founder Taiwan and dominated headlines. While a Terry Gou, as well as Taiwan Semiconductor relatively small domestic coronasdrus outbreak is Manufacturing Co (TSMC), to negotiate on its largely under control, only about a tenth of its 23.5 behalf for the vaccines. million people have receiwd at least one of a two- BioNTech's Chinese sales agent Shanghai shot regime. Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co Ltd said on TSMC and Foxconn, both major Apple Inc Sunday that an agreement had been signed, but suppliers, said in a joint statement the first did not give details of a delivery time frame. BioNTech vaccines were not expected to arrive Gou wrote on his Facebook page that he was until late September at the earliest, shipped "gratified" the deal had been completed, which directly from Germany, but did not say how many will see Foxconn and TSMC each buy 5 million would come at first doses, to be donated to the government for Gou said Beijing did not interfere in the talks. distribution. Taiwan has millions of vaccines on order, HBut we can't relax, because we will continue to mainly from AstraZeneca Pic and Modema, while work hard to push for the delivery time and the United States and Japan have together quantity." he said. donated almost five million doses to the island to "However, this batch of vaccines delivered help speed up vaccinations. - Reuters