China has been slow in this vaccine diplomacy war, while its archrival, pharmaceutical powerhouse India, has been moving faster and more aggressively to promote vaccine diplomacy in China’s important Belt and Road region.
Tensions between China and India are high, with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pictured here.
According to Deutsche Welle, China has recently pledged to provide hundreds of thousands of doses of vaccines free of charge to Pakistan, Nepal and several Southeast Asian countries, while India has already taken the lead in donating vaccines to Myanmar, Maldives, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal and other countries in quantities far exceeding China’s. It is reported that India’s move has already won praise in these regions.
The report analyzes that the objects of India’s vaccine diplomacy are located in important areas of China’s Belt and Road policy, and China has invested a lot of money in building infrastructure for these countries over the years. Experts believe that these countries rely strongly on tourism and have an urgent need for vaccines, while the Indian approach undoubtedly poses a serious challenge to China’s dominant position in the region.
The report noted that India is also planning to provide 12 to 20 million doses of Wuhan pneumonia vaccine to neighboring countries in the next three to four weeks, while assisting some of them in training medical personnel and managing the vaccine administration process.
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