The United States shipped 2.5 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan on Saturday, more than tripling Washington's previous allocation of shots for the island, which has faced increasing political and military pressure from China.<br /><br />Washington, competing with Beijing to deepen geopolitical clout through so-called "vaccine diplomacy," initially had promised to donate 750,000 doses to Taiwan but increased that number as President Joe Biden's administration advances its pledge to send 80 million US-made shots around the world.<br /><br />China, which considers Taiwan an integral part of its territory, has repeatedly offered to send coronavirus vaccines to the island, which has been battling a spike in domestic infections. Taipei has expressed concern about the safety of Chinese shots.
