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China has officially joined a global vaccine initiative to distribute 2 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines around the world by the end of next year, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Friday that Beijing had joined the initiative known as Covax, making China the largest economy to join a coalition aimed at countering so-called “vaccine nationalism.” The United States has said it will not join the alliance, calling it restrictive and overly influenced by the World Health Organization and China.
“This is an important step that China has taken to uphold the concept of a shared health community for all and to honor its commitment to making # Covid19 vaccines a global public good,” Hua wrote on Twitter.
Beijing initially missed the deadline to join the Covax initiative co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and Innovations. The goal of the alliance of up to 171 countries is to provide Covid-19 vaccines to 3% of the highest-risk population in each participating country by sharing research and distribution costs between developed and developing countries.
Joining Covax is a boost for the coalition and for Beijing’s image. China has been criticized for delays in its early response to the virus that emerged in Wuhan in central China in late December last year. Beijing’s decision to participate in the WHO-led effort also underscores its rivalry with the United States. The Trump administration, which has criticized the WHO, said last month that it would not join COVAX because it refuses to be “restricted by multilateral organizations influenced by the corrupt World Health Organization and China.”
Hua, who posted on Twitter, a platform that is blocked in China and used by Chinese officials to promote Beijing’s vision to the international public, appeared to allude to the US decision not to join. She wrote: “Even as China leads the world with various vaccines in advanced stages of R&D and extensive production capacity, it decided to join Covax.”
The Foreign Ministry said China would buy vaccines through the COVAX scheme for 1% of the country’s population. Speaking at the World Health Assembly in May, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said his country would provide $ 2 billion to Covid response efforts.
Finally, the COVAX initiative aims to provide a vaccine to 20% of the most vulnerable population in each country. Introducing the agreement in September, WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the scheme would guarantee vaccines for “some people in all countries and not for all in some countries.”
With four Covid-19 vaccine candidates in clinical trials, China is among the pioneers in the global race for a cure for the virus that has killed more than 1 million people. Health authorities have said a vaccine could be ready in November or December.
Tens of thousands of state-owned company employees, staff sent abroad, health officials, and people from the aviation industry have already received experimental vaccines.
Hua said on Friday: “China will continue to work together with Covax partners and contribute its part to the global fight against the pandemic to safeguard the safety and health of all human beings.”
