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After the vaccine came out, rich countries, representing 16% of the world’s population, bought 70% of the world’s vaccines, and developed countries were accused of stockpiling vaccines. According to China News, the excluded developing countries have turned to China. As China actively pursues vaccine diplomacy, countries like the United States and India have strengthened their alliances to counter the influence of China’s vaccines.
Image source,EPA
US President Biden chaired the “quartet talks.”
On March 12 (Friday), the leaders of the United States, Australia, India and Japan agreed to provide 1 billion doses of the new crown vaccine to most of Asia by the end of 2022.
The single-dose vaccine developed by the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is expected to be produced in India. “With manufacturing in India, American technology, financing from Japan and the United States, and logistics in Australia …” said US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan shortly after Friday’s virtual summit. “We promise to deliver 10.1 billion doses of vaccine.”
He said these vaccines will be shipped to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and to the “Pacific and other regions.” ASEAN is made up of 10 members, covering more than 500 million people. Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines are also member states.
Indian Prime Minister Modi wrote on Twitter after the meeting: “India’s strong vaccine production capacity will be expanded with the support of Japan, the United States and Australia.”
The “four-way talks” established in 2007 are generally seen as a check and balance mechanism against China’s growing self-confidence and tough attitude in Asia. Comments from the leaders of the four countries after the meeting appear to be indirectly directed at Beijing. All countries pledged to defend a “free and open” Asian continent.
US President Biden, who chaired the meeting, said in a statement: “We are once again committed to ensuring that our region is governed by international law and that we are committed to safeguarding the universal values of coercion.”
Image source,fake images
China’s official “Global Times” quoted Chinese experts as saying that members of the “four-way talks” are likely to put their own interests above the interests of the group, making the alliance an “empty talk club.” .
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Chinese figure vaguely visible
BBC reporter Barbara Plett-Usher (Barbara Plett-Usher)
The cooperation of the four democracies in the form of quadripartite talks dates back to the 2004 South Asian tsunami. The President of the United States, Biden, assumed the leadership role for the first time this time, which is part of his policy. to strengthen Beijing’s strategic checks and balances.
The Biden administration has been careful not to clearly oppose the “quadripartite talks mechanism” with China, but in response to Beijing’s increasingly tough global and regional role, the United States is taking diplomatic action to consolidate the alliance.
There were also many allusions to China in the comments after the meeting. The leaders of the four countries emphasized a “free and open Indo-Pacific”, and are currently facing security challenges from Beijing.
The four countries plan to increase the scale of production and sales of the new corona vaccine in Asia on a large scale, which will allow them to compete with China’s vaccine diplomacy.
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Image source,AFP
India is a major producer of vaccines.
China’s vaccine diplomacy hits Japan
As of the end of February, China has provided vaccine assistance to 69 countries and 2 international organizations and exported vaccines to 43 countries, and this number continues to rise. The last measure was to provide a vaccine for the Tokyo Olympics in Japan, but it was rejected by Japan.
On Thursday (March 11), the President of the International Olympic Committee, Bach, said that China’s new crown vaccine will be purchased for the next two Olympic Games participants. China has taken the initiative to provide vaccine doses for the Tokyo Olympics and the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Bach also said that all costs will be borne by the International Olympic Committee.
Japan stated that Japanese athletes participating in the Tokyo Summer Olympics will not be vaccinated against China. Japan also knew nothing about the agreement reached a day ago between the International Olympic Committee and China that China will provide vaccines for the Tokyo Summer Olympics.
Japan’s Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa said on Friday (March 12) that the International Olympic Committee has not communicated with Japan on this matter and that Japanese athletes cannot be vaccinated with foreign vaccines that are not approved by Japan. She emphasized: “I do not know if any Chinese company has submitted a request for the use of vaccines to the relevant Japanese authorities.”
While exporting vaccines to the world, China refuses to admit that it is involved in vaccine diplomacy.
Regarding the purpose of China’s vaccine export, in early March, the spokesman for the fourth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee, Guo Weimin, said: “I have also noticed that some people question China’s intention to use vaccine exports to expand its geopolitical policy. ” He said that China declared vaccines as a global public product, supported and encouraged Chinese companies to cooperate with relevant countries in vaccine research, development and production, joined the “New Vaccine Implementation Plan for Coronary Pneumonia “of the World Health Organization and actively promoted the equitable distribution of vaccines around the world.
Image source,Reuters
US media reports stated that China has decided to provide 10 million doses of the domestically produced COVID-19 vaccine to the “New Coronary Pneumonia Vaccine Implementation Plan” (COVAX) to meet the urgent needs of countries. Developing. WHO intends to distribute 2 billion doses of safe and effective vaccines to developing countries in 2021 through the COVAX program.
