Coronavirus: Xi Jinping pledges US$3 billion to help developing countries recover after pandemic
- Xi tells a virtual Apec meeting that the money will help the countries with their pandemic response and economic recovery
- The event hosted by New Zealand also featured an appearance by Joe Biden
Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged US$3 billion in international aid to help developing countries recover from Covid-19 over the next three years at a virtual meeting of the Asia-Pacific Cooperation Forum on Friday, state news agency Xinhua reported.
The informal event was convened at short notice by Apec host New Zealand for the leaders of the group’s 21 members to discuss the challenges posed by the pandemic.
“China overcame its own challenge of a mass inoculation programme and provided over 500 million vaccine doses to developing countries,” Xi said.
“In the next three years, China will provide another US$3 billion in international aid, to help support the pandemic response, economic recovery and social development of developing countries,” he said.
China has also donated money to set up a Apec fund that will support Asia-Pacific economies to overcome the pandemic and achieve economic recovery, Xi said.