China to provide Covid vaccines to 40 African countries
20 May 2021, 14:49
China has pledged Covid-19 vaccines to nearly 40 African countries in part of the country's programme of "vaccine diplomacy."
China has promised half a billion doses to 45 countries, according to an Associated Press tally.
Foreign Ministry official Wu Peng said that vaccines were donated or sold at "favourable prices".
"We believe that it is, of course, necessary to ensure that the Chinese people get vaccinated as soon as possible, but for other countries in need, we also try our best to provide vaccine help," said Mr Wu.
Egypt will begin producing the Sinovac vaccine locally in June, obtaining the expertise and technical assistance to produce it.
Mr Wu said: "Aid alone cannot solve Africa's vaccine issues. We must support local manufacturing of vaccines in Africa, even though this is difficult due to (low) levels of industrialisation."
This comes after the UN Security Council called for an accelerated availability of Covid vaccines for Africa.
The statement, approved by all 15 members, highlighted the importance of equal access to quality, affordable Covid tests, treatments and vaccines.
The continent has only received around 2% of all vaccines administered globally.
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Meanwhile, the US has been accused of hoarding vaccines, with Mr Wu comparing China's contribution to "some countries that have said they have to wait for their own people to finish the vaccination before they could supply the vaccines to foreign countries".
President Joe Biden pledged, on Monday, to share an additional 20 million vaccine doses in the next six weeks, but he did not say which countries will be receiving them.
The doses will be either Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson, which are in production in the US.
They originally pledged 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine before the end of June.
