The Medical Equipment and Healthcare Products exhibition area during the second China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, East China. (Photo: Xinhua)

Chinese netizens are condemning French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi for its lack of national pride and consideration as company CEO Paul Hudson has said the US will get priority access to its coronavirus vaccine now in development.

The company has since altered its language, after the CEO's comments fueled uproar in France and faced objection from world politicians and media organizations, who advocate that vaccines must be shared by countries around the world. 

Comments like "France is quick to surrender," "True loyalty revealed," and "France has bent the knee" were posted beneath a news thread reporting the controversy on China's Sina Weibo social media platform, a Twitter-like service. 

Other netizens point to the capitalist nature of Sanofi, one of the world's largest pharmaceutical firms by prescription sales.

A netizen wrote in a post, "[Former President of France] Charles de Gaulle would turn in his grave should he hear this."

But some said that France-based Sanofi should not be synonymous with France. 

More are questioning whether or not the vaccine will be delivered at all, as its development is still ongoing. 

Sanofi's sales in China decreased 14.4 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2020 to 680 million euros ($734.7 million).

Sanofi operates 73 offices in 32 countries and regions. There is no vaccine approved yet against COVID-19. Sanofi entered the Chinese market in 1982 and has 9,000 employees, according to information on the company's website.