China backs IP waiver for coronavirus vaccines

Name: After ramping up vaccination drive with incentives, China administers 200 million Covid-19 shots
Uploaded: 2021-05-17T14:13:53.000Z
Duration: 2 min 6 s
Description: After ramping up vaccination drive with incentives, China administers 200 million Covid-19 shots

Beijing says it supports demand from developing world, adding to international backing

But it is unclear if China is in favour of lifting intellectual property restrictions on all Covid-19 related medical products

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China is backing calls for IP protections to be waived for coronavirus vaccines. Photo: AFP

Simone McCarthy

Published: 10:13pm, 17 May 2021Updated: 9:44am, 18 May 2021

China has thrown its weight behind a call from developing countries to waive intellectual property protections of Covid-19 vaccines, saying it is in favour of all efforts for fair vaccine access.

“China fully understands and is supportive of the developing world’s demand for an intellectual property rights waiver for Covid-19 vaccines,” foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Monday.

“This would be in line with the idea that Covid-19 vaccines are a ‘global public good’, and part and parcel of [China’s] efforts to build a global community of health for all.”

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After ramping up vaccination drive with incentives, China administers 200 million Covid-19 shots

The statement is the strongest backing yet from Beijing for a controversial proposal from India and South Africa, for the World Trade Organization to waive IP restrictions on Covid-19 related medical products.

The proposal, backed by more than 100 mostly developing countries, is not limited to vaccines but calls for all Covid-19 medical products to be included under a waiver. A revised version is expected to be discussed at a WTO meeting early next month.

However on Monday, Zhao only referred to vaccines, and it was not clear whether it meant China supported the broad waiver for medical products.

The Ministry of Commerce was more muted last week, saying Beijing supported the WTO proposal “entering text-based negotiations”.