China’s ‘two sessions’: Beijing promises Covid-19 vaccination for Chinese, even those living abroad

Foreign Minister Wang Yi says ‘Spring Seedling Action’ will ensure nationals receive either home-grown or foreign vaccine

Beijing says a digital health passport will ease the flow of travellers and supply chain but inequality renders the concept controversial

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A Sinovac staff member with inactivated doses of its Covid-19 vaccine. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 7:59pm, 7 Mar 2021Updated: 9:02pm, 7 Mar 2021

China will launch a programme to help vaccinate its nationals abroad against the coronavirus and introduce a digital health passport for global travel, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday.

Wang told a news conference on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress in Beijing that the “Spring Seedling Action” programme would “help and fight for” Chinese nationals outside the country to receive either a Chinese-made vaccine or one made by other countries. The Chinese character for “seedling” is also used to refer to vaccines.

“We use action to tell compatriots abroad: no one is left behind under ‘diplomacy for the people’,” Wang said, employing a frequently used slogan to promote the Chinese foreign service for nationals abroad.

China has donated vaccines to countries such as Zimbabwe, Iraq and Pakistan as part of its “vaccine diplomacy”, which analysts say is aimed at improving China’s image across the world.

That effort has expanded to “compatriots” or Chinese overseas and residents of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

In January, Beijing said Taiwanese residents in mainland China could also apply for free Covid-19 vaccines. Hong Kong and Macau have also received mainland-made vaccines for their public inoculation programmes.

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