The U.S. will donate 750,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan as part of its sharing of jabs worldwide - providing the island with a much-needed boost in its fight against the pandemic.

Taiwan is dealing with an upsurge in coronavirus cases but has been affected by world vaccination shortages - as have many other places. It has also claimed China is impeding its efforts to secure dosages internationally.

The vaccine doses are part of the U.S.'s aim to distribute vaccines around the world, according to Senator Tammy Duckworth.

Speaking at Taipei's downtown Songshan airport after arriving on a three-hour visit with fellow Senators Dan Sullivan and Christopher Coons, Duckworth said Taiwan would be getting 750,000 doses as part of the first tranche of U.S. donations.

"I'm here to tell you that the U.S. will not let you stand alone," Duckworth said at the airport after landing aboard a U.S. military transport plane. "We will be by your side to make sure the people of Taiwan have what they need to get to the other side of the pandemic and beyond."

Taiwan was among a long list of countries named last week that would receive 25 million doses from the U.S. in the first tranche of at least 80 million doses to be delivered worldwide, according to the Biden administration. The majority of the initial batch, including those for Taiwan, will be distributed through COVAX, a United Nations-backed initiative that distributes vaccines to low and middle-income nations.

The island of 24 million people, 160 kilometers (100 miles) off China's east coast, is in critical need of vaccines following a sudden outbreak that began in late April and caught authorities off guard. For the sake of expediency, Japan shipped 1.2 million doses to Taiwan Friday, skipping the COVAX process. It isn't known when the 750,000 dosages from the U.S. will arrive.

Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu thanked the U.S. for the donation. "While we are doing our best to import vaccines, we must overcome obstacles to ensure that these life-saving medicines are delivered free from trouble from Beijing," Wu said.