China opposes vaccine nationalism and will push for the equal distribution of doses globally to fight the coronavirus, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Monday.

A staff member checks the packaging quality of COVID-19 inactivated vaccine products at a packaging plant of the Beijing Biological Products Institute Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinopharm, in Beijing Dec. 25, 2020. (Photo: Xinhua)

This remark came after Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told BBC that "vaccines do not carry a nationality" and Singapore will use COVID-19 vaccines from any source as long as it works.

"I do not think there is any basis for people to say, a vaccine comes from China, it is no good, or conversely, a vaccine comes from China, it must be good because I am a Chinaman and it matches my DNA. Vaccines are vaccines." He said.

During the televised interview, Lee also said he had no doubt that China has the capacity to make good vaccines with capable scientific researchers.

"The COVID-19 vaccine is a sharp weapon to fight the virus and a dose of hope for saving lives," Zhao said. "It should serve the entire world and benefit all human beings. "

Singapore received its first shipment of China's Sinovac vaccines in late February. The country is still in the process of evaluating it for safety and efficacy.