Germany says China’s Covid-19 vaccine diplomacy has political purpose

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas says countries receiving Chinese vaccines are under pressure to accept ‘clear political demands’

Maas was speaking on a visit to a Pfizer production facility in the US

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China has provided Covid-19 vaccines to nearly 40 African countries but officials say it is for purely altruistic reasons. Photo: AFP

Published: 1:37pm, 14 Jul 2021Updated: 1:37pm, 14 Jul 2021

China is using its Covid-19 vaccine diplomacy for political purposes, according to Germany’s foreign minister.

Heiko Maas said on Tuesday that both Russia and China had been good at publicly promoting the delivery of their vaccines to other countries, but also pursued other aims in doing so.

“We note, in particular with China, that the supply of vaccines was also used to make very clear political demands of various countries,” he said.

Speaking to reporters during a trip to Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he visited a Pfizer production facility, Maas said such behaviour should be rejected.

“To prevent this happening in the first place we don’t just have to criticise it, but we have to ensure that the affected countries have alternatives,” he said.

“Those alternative are the vaccines we have available and which we of course want to make available to as many countries and regions in the world as possible. (That way) the Russians and the Chinese can’t continue to conduct their difficult vaccine diplomacy in this fashion, which only has the purpose of increasing their own influence and not necessarily to save people’s lives in the first instance.”

While he did not provide any specific examples, Taiwan has accused Beijing of using the delivery of its shots to pressure countries into dropping their support for the self-ruled island, which it claims as its own.

Chinese officials said recently their country is providing Covid-19 vaccines to nearly 40 African countries, but said this was being done for purely altruistic reasons.