Founder of Apple supplier Foxconn seeks to buy BioNTech vaccine for Taiwan amid Covid flare-up       

The billionaire is hoping to have the shots airlifted from Germany to Taiwan without going via any middlemen.

Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. The Taiwanese government's own deal with BioNTech fell through earlier this year

Foxconn and its billionaire founder Terry Gou sought permission from Taiwan's government to buy Covid-19 vaccines from Germany's BioNTech after the island was hit with a rise in infections.

The proposed purchase of 5m doses, which would be distributed among the general population, comes after the government ceded to pressure from opposition parties to allow companies, religious groups, and local governments to arrange imports.