A container containing coronavirus vaccines made by Chinese company Sinovac Biotech waits to be loaded onto a plane bound for Indonesia as China starts supplying vaccines to Asian countries. Photo: AP A container containing coronavirus vaccines made by Chinese company Sinovac Biotech waits to be loaded onto a plane bound for Indonesia as China starts supplying vaccines to Asian countries. Photo: AP
A container containing coronavirus vaccines made by Chinese company Sinovac Biotech waits to be loaded onto a plane bound for Indonesia as China starts supplying vaccines to Asian countries. Photo: AP
Maria Siow
Opinion

Opinion

Maria Siow

Why China’s vaccine diplomacy shouldn’t be a high-profile charm offensive

  • China’s lacklustre soft power rankings and the fact that Covid-19 vaccines are a new frontier in public health mean it should dish them out quietly
  • Surely Beijing has not forgotten the backlash earlier this year when defective Chinese-made medical equipment was rejected by coronavirus-hit countries

Maria Siow
Maria Siow

Updated: 10:41am, 14 Dec, 2020

Why you can trust SCMP
A container containing coronavirus vaccines made by Chinese company Sinovac Biotech waits to be loaded onto a plane bound for Indonesia as China starts supplying vaccines to Asian countries. Photo: AP A container containing coronavirus vaccines made by Chinese company Sinovac Biotech waits to be loaded onto a plane bound for Indonesia as China starts supplying vaccines to Asian countries. Photo: AP
A container containing coronavirus vaccines made by Chinese company Sinovac Biotech waits to be loaded onto a plane bound for Indonesia as China starts supplying vaccines to Asian countries. Photo: AP
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Maria Siow

Maria Siow

Maria Siow is a long-time China-based correspondent and analyst with keen interest in East Asia. Maria has a masters degree in international relations.