Photo: UN

New York (People’s Daily) - Ambassador Zhang Jun, permanent representative of China to the United Nations, on Monday sent a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, informing him about China’s decision to donate 300,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to UN peacekeepers, with priority given to the peacekeeping missions in Africa.

This is a further step to make China’s vaccines a global public good, and also a demonstration of China’s firm and continuous support to the UN and multilateralism. As one of the champions of safety and security issues under the “Action for peacekeeping” (A4P) initiative of the UN secretary-general, China attaches great importance to the safety and security of peacekeepers, and supports early COVID-19 vaccination for UN peacekeepers to protect their health and help them better perform their duties. The Chinese government will work closely with the UN Secretariat to make vaccines donated by China available to the UN peacekeepers at an early date, said the Chinese mission in a press release.

The fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is the most pressing task facing the world today. Vaccines are the most powerful weapon to win the battle. China attaches great importance to the equitable distribution of vaccines, especially the accessibility and affordability in developing countries. As of March 15, China had provided vaccine assistance to 69 countries and two international organizations, and exported vaccines to 28 countries. More and more countries and people are benefiting from China’s vaccines, it said.

China will continue to work in solidarity with countries around the world to make unremitting efforts to win the final victory of the global fight against the pandemic, it said.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced China’s decision to donate vaccines to the United Nations peacekeepers at the Security Council meeting on COVID-19 vaccines on February 17.