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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia said today that it has signed an agreement with China to cooperate in the development of a safe and effective vaccine, as part of efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
Under the agreement, in effect for an initial period of five years, the Southeast Asian nation will have priority access to Covid-19 vaccines developed by China. The two will share knowledge and experience and facilitate scientific and technological capabilities to promote vaccine development in their countries, Malaysia said in a joint ministerial statement.
The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Khairy Jamaluddin, signed the agreement with his Chinese counterpart Wang Zhigang in a virtual ceremony.
Malaysia-China cooperation under the agreement would be overseen by a committee chaired by the foreign ministers of both countries that was formed in October to address post-pandemic challenges.
“Both countries will also support the participation of their public and private sectors, including universities, institutions, societies and organizations in joint collaborative projects,” the Malaysian ministries said.
