Workers unload COVID-19 vaccines donated by China at Robert Mugabe International Airport in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Feb. 15, 2021. Photo: Xinhua

During the Spring Festival, China delivered COVID-19 vaccines to seven countries. China has been actively carrying out international cooperation on COVID-19 vaccines to make them truly global public goods, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a press briefing on Thursday.

China appreciated the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s global vaccination initiative calling for equitable vaccine distribution, the spokesperson said.

China was open to any initiative that helped achieve a fair vaccine distribution, Hua said.

“We are willing to maintain communication and coordination with all parties,” she said.

Hua said China has been practicing the important announcement of Chinese President Xi Jinping, committing to making vaccines global public goods, and promoting the availability and affordability of vaccines in developing countries.

China took the lead in joining the WHO initiative of collaboration to accelerate the development, production and equitable global access to new COVID-19 essential health technologies and has actively cooperated with more than 10 countries in vaccine research and development, involving more than 100,000 volunteers of more than 100 different nationalities, she noted.

At the request of WHO, China has provided 10 million doses of domestic vaccines to meet the urgent needs of developing countries and has provided assistance to 53 developing countries.

China supports relevant enterprises in exporting vaccines to countries that are in urgent need, has approved Chinese vaccines and their emergency use, Hua said, adding that China has exported and is exporting vaccines to 22 countries, she said.

China has made full use of its advantages in the industrial chain to support and assist other countries in processing and producing vaccine products in China or locally, helping to increase global production capacity, she said. China has also donated vaccines to UN peacekeepers.

Hua pointed out that during the Spring Festival, China delivered COVID-19 vaccines to Zimbabwe, Turkey, Peru, Morocco, Senegal, Hungary and the United Arab Emirates.

The leaders of Hungary and other countries reportedly welcomed the vaccines at the airport and expressed their sincere thanks to China.

With the joint efforts of governments, enterprises and scientists, the COVID-19 vaccines are being developed and produced at a record rate, but there is also a need to address the “capacity deficit” and “distribution deficit,” Hua said.

All parties should work together to resist vaccine nationalism and promote equitable vaccine distribution, she said, especially to achieve accessibility and affordability in developing countries including countries caught in conflicts.

Hua stressed that the purpose of China’s international cooperation on COVID-19 vaccines is to make the vaccines truly global public goods.

China will continue to work with all parties to strengthen cooperation in vaccines, prevention and control and other fields, contribute to a global community of health for all, and win the final victory in the global fight against the pandemic.