China makes Covid-19 vaccine promises
China is likely months away from mass producing a vaccine safe for public use. But the country is using the prospect in a charm offensive aimed at repairing damaged ties and bringing friends closer.
Latin American and Caribbean nations will receive loans to buy the vaccine, and Bangladesh will get more than 100,000 free doses.
In the Philippines, where China is competing with the United States for influence, President Rodrigo Duterte told lawmakers in July that he had “made a plea” to China’s leader, Xi Jinping, for help with vaccines. He also said he would not confront China over its claims to the South China Sea.
A day later, Wang Wenbin, spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, said China was willing to give the Philippines priority access to a vaccine.
China’s vaccine pledges, on top of shipments of masks and ventilators, help it project itself as a responsible player and could help it push back against accusations that the ruling Communist Party should be held accountable for missteps when the coronavirus emerged in December.
The Trump administration has attacked Beijing over its handling of the crisis, as well as over accusations that Chinese-directed hackers have tried
Should we be suspicious, or should we be grateful? Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, Indonesian academic
to steal vaccine research.
Four out of the eight late-phase clinical trials are for Chinese vaccines. The country began testing on soldiers and employees of state-owned companies in July, and now includes health care and aviation workers.
The US has three vaccine candidates in late-stage trials. Pfizer says it could apply for emergency approval as early as next month and Moderna says it hopes to have a vaccine by the end of the year. AstraZeneca, a British-Swedish company that received US government funding, paused its late-stage global trials this week because of a serious suspected adverse reaction.
But some political experts worry about the leverage China could wield over countries that accept vaccines.
“Should we be suspicious, or should we be grateful?” asked Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, an academic at Universitas Islam Indonesia, who researches China’s foreign policy. “I think both.”