Taiwan compatriots vaccinated on mainland top 156,000

As of Aug 31, more than 156,000 Taiwan compatriots have been vaccinated against COVID-19 on the Chinese mainland, receiving 290,000 doses of vaccines, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said on Wednesday.

Some mainland cities, including Shanghai, have recently begun offering vaccinations to Taiwan students aged 12 to 17 studying on the mainland, according to the office.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for the office, said at a news conference in Beijing on Wednesday that no one will worry about being unable to get vaccinated on the mainland and even overseas compatriots, including those from Taiwan, can have priority to domestically made vaccines abroad.

The mainland has helped arrange vaccination for thousands of Taiwan people living abroad in many countries, including Thailand, Vietnam, Georgia and Mauritius, she said.

"Taiwan still lacks vaccines. We have repeatedly expressed our willingness to assist Taiwan compatriots in responding to the epidemic and ensure that they have access to vaccines, which remains our biggest concern at present," Zhu said.

She urged the ruling Democratic Progressive Party of Taiwan to put the interests of the Taiwan people first and take concrete actions to protect people's lives, health and well-being.