By He Yin
China will strive to provide 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to the world throughout this year and offer $100 million dollars to COVAX to promote vaccine provision in developing countries, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Aug. 5 in a written message to the first meeting of the international forum on COVID-19 vaccine cooperation.
This marked an important practice for China to fulfill its promise of making COVID-19 vaccines a global public good, signifying the country’s firm determination to keep supporting global anti-pandemic cooperation and build a global community of health for all.
To set up an international forum on vaccine cooperation for vaccine-developing and producing countries, companies and other stakeholders to explore ways of promoting fair and equitable distribution of vaccines around the world was one of the five measures announced by President Xi to support global solidarity against COVID-19 at the Global Health Summit this May.
The first session of the forum was attended by premiers, foreign ministers, health ministers or senior representatives from over 20 countries, heads of UN and the WHO, as well as representatives from 29 vaccine manufacturers in China and abroad, which fully indicated the support for China’s proposals from the parties concerned.Foreign representatives to the session gave a high evaluation on China’s leading role in international anti-pandemic cooperation, especially vaccine cooperation, and expressed their gratitude to the country for fulfilling its promise of making COVID-19 vaccines a global public good, providing vaccines for the world, especially the developing countries, and its outstanding contribution to promoting the accessibility and affordability of vaccines in developing countries.
With concrete actions, China is striving to tackle distribution deficit, making new steps toward global equity and accessibility of vaccine distribution.
Vaccines are an important weapon for the mankind to defeat the virus. In May the last year, China took the lead to announce that COVID-19 vaccine development and deployment in China, when available, will be made a global public good.
Such a promise is a Chines contribution to improving the accessibility and affordability of COVID-19 vaccines in developing countries. Keeping its word, China has donated and is donating COVID-19 vaccines to over 100 countries, and is exporting vaccines to more than 60 countries. These vaccines add up to 770 million doses, the highest in the world. This June, China, together with 28 countries, jointly started the Initiative for Belt and Road Partnership on COVID-19 Vaccines Cooperation to enhance collaboration on vaccine aid, export and joint production. These Chinese actions have vividly explained the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind and demonstrated China’s major country responsibility.
With concrete actions, China striving to tackle production deficit, injecting new impetus to the solidarity and cooperation among developing countries.
The pandemic is a major test that examines each country’s governance capability, as well as the world’s health governance system. To win the battle against the virus, which concerns the future and destiny of mankind, the world must rely on solidarity and cooperation, and help developing countries with vulnerable public health systems improve their capability in fighting the virus.
As a developing country, China is not only offering vaccine aid to other developing countries, but also helping them develop their own vaccine production capability to enhance their competence in coping with public health challenges. Under China’s assistance, the UAE, Egypt, Indonesia and Brazil became the first countries capable of producing COVID-19 vaccines in their respective regions, and Malaysia, Turkey, Pakistan and Mexico also kicked off vaccine production cooperation with China, with total production capacity exceeding 200 million doses.
With concrete actions, China is striving to safeguard international equity and justice, making new contributions to an early win of the mankind over the pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic is still ravaging the world, and maximum efforts must be taken to protect the lives and health of all people on the planet. When advancing international vaccine cooperation, China never seeks geopolitical goals, aims at economic benefits, or attaches political strings. The only aim of China is to make the vaccines a global public good that serves all the people in the world.
Compared with the vaccine nationalism in some countries, China has always demonstrated a generous and unselfish spirit of international cooperation, said Munir Akram, president of UN Economic and Social Council and Pakistan’s UN ambassador.
Virtue is not left to stand alone. China’s solemn promise and active practice demonstrated its responsibility for the lives and health of the Chinese people, and the cause of global public health. The international cooperation on pandemic fight proves that to build a global community of health for all is a common aspiration of the people around the world. It conforms to the trend of history, and remains the right approach for mankind to cope with common challenges and build a better world.
The sunshine of cooperation will finally dispel dark cloud of the pandemic. China will keep advancing international anti-pandemic cooperation, and work with all parties relevant to build a magnificent power against the virus.
He Yin writes for People’s Daily
