China to supply 2B vaccine doses worldwide in 2021: President Xi

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) – China will supply at least 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines worldwide during the current year, President Xi Jinping said on Thursday.

“China will continue to do its best to help other developing countries cope with the virus. In the course of this year, China will strive to provide 2 billion doses of vaccines to the world,” the Chinese president said in a written message to the first meeting of the International Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine Cooperation.

China is hosting the forum at the level of foreign ministers, which is being attended by at least 30 countries and international organizations, including the UN.

“At present, COVID-19 is still raging with frequent flare-ups and mutations. I hope this meeting will make new strides toward realizing vaccine fairness and accessibility across the world, lend new impetus to solidarity and cooperation among developing countries, and make new contribution to humanity’s early victory over the pandemic,” said Xi.

The president said Beijing remains “committed to building a global community of health for all,” said a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

“China is providing vaccines to the world, particularly fellow developing countries, and is actively advancing cooperation on vaccine production. This is in line with China’s commitment to making COVID-19 vaccines a global public good,” he said.

China will also contribute $100 million to COVAX, a global initiative aimed at delivering vaccines to low- and middle-income countries, which “will mainly go to the distribution of vaccines to developing countries,” Xi added.

As part of its vaccine diplomacy, China has already supplied over 750 million doses to over 100 countries, as well as international organizations.

Earlier this month, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) signed advance purchase agreements with Chinese firms Sinopharm and Sinovac to provide up to 550 million vaccine doses for the COVAX program.