HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong’s agreement to buy BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines from Chinese sales agent Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co Ltd did not include clauses for Fosun or other third parties to collect personal data, the territory’s government said.
Reuters reported this week that Fosun had sent over a template, based on a contract signed with Chinese-run Hong Kong, in talks with two Taiwanese tech firms for the vaccine in which Fosun sought access to Taiwanese medical records.
Those clauses did not end up appearing in the final contract, the sources said.
Fosun is BioNTech SE’s sales agent for mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
In a statement late on Tuesday, Hong Kong’s government said in its contract with Fosun there are no clauses which “empower or enable Fosun or any third party to collect, access, or via any means to obtain or use the personal information of vaccinated individuals”.
Hong Kong’s government has always attached great importance to personal data privacy, and in the city’s vaccination programme there are clear and strict guidelines and procedures for the collection and use of personal information, it added.
Fosun has not responded to requests for comment on the clauses in the template sent to Taiwan.
Fosun signed a deal on Sunday with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC), Taiwan contract electronics maker Foxconn and the charity of Foxconn’s founder Terry Gou for a total of 10 million vaccine doses.
(Reporting by Marius Zaharia; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
