Letters | What if China and India joined hands on coronavirus vaccines?
- The two Asian giants, both engaged in vaccine diplomacy, could set up a joint research team to deal with virus variants and donate upgraded vaccines
At the same time, countries are trying to use vaccines as a diplomatic tool to strengthen their regional and international influence.
The letter rightly points out the problematic ethics of rich countries hoarding vaccines, when they cannot in perpetuity shut off their borders from the rest of the world and the viruses that may be present in these countries. In an era of globalisation, we have to understand that it is not enough to only handle the coronavirus at the local level; this must also be done at the regional and international levels.
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The vaccines are more than a cure for the pandemic; they might also be a tool for regional stability and peace. For example, as both China and India can produce effective vaccines, they could cooperate temporarily during this pandemic, for example, by setting up a joint research team to deal with the virus variants and donate newly upgraded vaccines to countries that urgently need them.