As vaccination programs against the Chinese Communist Party virus begin in various places, some Western countries have been criticized for stockpiling vaccines, preventing developing countries from getting enough vaccines in a timely manner. At the same Time, China and India donated vaccines to a number of countries, and while both countries insist there are no political considerations in their vaccine donations, it has been noted that the two countries are often tit-for-tat when choosing who to donate to, making vaccines the latest battleground between the two countries.
China donated more than 3 million doses of vaccines to more than a dozen countries as of Sunday (Feb. 21), with the largest donation of 1 million doses to Cambodia. But India has donated even more vaccines to different countries, with more than 6 million doses donated, benefiting Caribbean countries as far away as Dominica and Barbados.
The Indian media reported the news describing India’s practice of donating vaccines to other countries as “out of goodwill”, while Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who attended a UN meeting earlier, also pointed out that there were no political considerations when China promoted international cooperation on vaccines, but the analysis noted that most of the countries that benefited from the vaccines donated by the two countries were related to their past geopolitical wrestling. This is why it is called “vaccine diplomacy”.
On the other hand, most Western countries have so far not donated vaccines to other countries in the same way as China or India, choosing instead to fund the WHO-led Vaccine Sharing Programme (Covax), but some G7 leaders pointed out earlier that Western countries should consider providing vaccines directly to developing countries to counteract attempts by countries such as China and Russia to expand their influence by exporting or donating vaccines. to expand their influence.
China and India Tussle Over Vaccine Donations
Many countries around the world have donated vaccines to various other regions. Among them, Central European country Romania earlier donated about 200,000 doses of vaccines to neighboring Moldova, and Russia has pledged to provide vaccines to Lebanon.
But China and India have generally been more visible in their “vaccine diplomacy” than other donation programs, with both countries donating vaccines to several Southeast Asian and African countries, including Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, Afghanistan and others, with no shortage of signs of competition.
In Nepal, for example, India first announced a donation of 1 million doses of vaccine in January, followed by China’s announcement in February of a 500,000-dose donation to Nepal. There was a similar situation in Zimbabwe, where China donated 200,000 doses of vaccines, which were delivered in early February, followed by India’s announcement that it would donate 75,000 doses.
In addition, Pakistan, which has friendly relations with China and was the first country to receive a vaccine donation from the Beijing government, did not receive any vaccine donations from neighboring India. The Seychelles, an island nation in the southwestern Indian Ocean, has also received 50,000 doses of vaccines from China and India, and analysis suggests that the vaccine donation “race” between the two countries may be related to India’s desire to establish a military foothold in the region and China’s desire for India’s plans to fail.
In addition, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar are among the countries where the two countries are competing for influence, and they have donated vaccines to these countries at the same time.
The vaccine donations are accompanied by media and government campaigns in both countries. Among other things, the Chinese Communist Party has described the Beijing government as having long emphasized that locally developed vaccines would be an international “public good,” and has said that China has donated vaccines to many countries so far as an example of its commitment.
In response to these claims of China’s “vaccine diplomacy,” the official Xinhua news agency issued an article describing the accusations as “sinister,” adding that China has always engaged in “open and honest international cooperation on vaccines China has always engaged in “open and honest international cooperation on vaccines” and has never pursued any geopolitical agenda.
Some Indian media also published an article saying that media from various countries continued to praise India’s “vaccine diplomacy” policy for sending support to many countries when they needed it, including the Indian Asian News Service (IANS), which quoted several U.S. experts as praising India for producing and exporting large quantities of the new vaccine crown, making it a “vaccine powerhouse. “.
But some commentators worry that the process of donating vaccines is not transparent, and there is no way for the outside world to know if there is a quid pro quo between the donor country and the beneficiary country in reaching a vaccine donation agreement at the expense of the national interest.
Akhil Bery, an analyst with the Eurasia Group, an analytical and consulting firm, argues that while this is a concern, this practice of sharing internationally and distributing vaccines globally is “still preferable to the selfish behavior of rich countries that hoard vaccines.”
Western countries rethink donation mechanisms
So far most Western countries have not donated vaccines directly, instead buying large quantities and stockpiling them at Home, prompting criticism. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus revealed that 49 rich countries have administered more than 39 million doses of vaccines, but some poor countries have received only 25 doses so far, describing the unequal distribution policy as a “catastrophic moral failure” for the world. “.
The EU has also been criticized for the failure of vaccine companies to fulfill vaccine supply contracts with the EU, and the decision to impose export controls on vaccines produced in EU member states.
Some Western leaders at an earlier G7 video conference pointed out that many countries unable to buy vaccines from Western pharmaceutical companies are turning to China and Russia, calling on countries to provide vaccines for developing countries, otherwise China and Russia will win the “vaccine diplomacy” war. French President Emmanuel Macron warned that if Western countries fail to do so, those countries will have no choice but to buy vaccines from countries such as China or Russia.
It is worth noting that many countries, while not directly donating vaccines, are participating in the WHO’s Vaccine Distribution Programme (Covax), which aims to ensure that countries have equitable access to vaccines and that developing countries are not denied access to vaccines because they cannot afford them. According to the latest WHO estimates, the program will begin obtaining vaccines from suppliers as early as February and expects to supply about 1.785 million doses of vaccine to developing countries by December of this year.
A number of countries have also contributed to the WHO-led Accelerated Access to the COVID-19 Tool (ACT-A) program, which funds programs to accelerate the development of tests, treatments and vaccines for C. pneumoniae. The U.S. government, under former President Trump, did not participate in the Vaccine Security Initiative, but current President Biden has pledged to provide $4 billion to the program by 2022.
China has earlier pledged to provide 10 million doses of vaccine to the vaccine distribution program, and it is unknown whether it will provide monetary support to the program.
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