Coronavirus: China positions itself for ‘vaccine diplomacy’ push to fight Covid-19

Name: ‘Robust immune responses’ found in Covid-19 vaccine clinical trials point to 2021 release
Uploaded: 2020-08-04T05:36:23.000Z
Duration: 6 min 17 s
Description: ‘Robust immune responses’ found in Covid-19 vaccine clinical trials point to 2021 release

Beijing is offering loans and priority access to developing countries for vaccinations as they move to large-scale trials

As richer nations scramble for early doses manufacturing constraints likely to cause shortages for years

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China’s diplomats say vaccines developed in China will be a “global public good”. Photo: AFP

Simone McCarthy

Published: 1:36pm, 4 Aug 2020Updated: 10:51pm, 4 Aug 2020

China’s so-called Wolf Warrior diplomats have been in the spotlight this year as Beijing barked back at critics who blamed it for the Covid-19 outbreak. But that narrative may be about to shift as China positions itself as a global leader to fight the disease, saying it will offer loans and priority access for vaccines it is developing.

Vaccines being developed in China are among front-runners in the hunt for safe and effective immunisations to counter the pandemic. China’s diplomats are saying, if successful, the vaccines will be a “global public good”, a pledge made by President Xi Jinping at a meeting of the World Health Organisation’s governing body in May.

The assurances come as multiple vaccines worldwide move into large-scale late-phase trials, a step away from potential approval. However, supply shortages for any approved products are likely to persist for months or even years due to manufacturing constraints.

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‘Robust immune responses’ found in Covid-19 vaccine clinical trials point to 2021 release

That has seen richer countries, including the United States, Britain, and Japan, cut deals with pharmaceutical developers for early doses for their own citizens.

“China will not act like some countries and seek a monopoly or buy out vaccines,” foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said last month.

However, Beijing has not made clear how it would work with local companies – both state and publicly owned – to meet its vision for a “global public good” while providing doses for its own population of 1.4 billion.

So far, China is not part of Covax, a World Health Organisation-backed mechanism which aims to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines to participating countries, including those that cannot afford doses themselves. Beijing has however been making overtures of its own to developing countries.