China to provide 100mn more COVID vaccines to developing nations – Xi

On Sep 10, 2021

CHINA: China will donate 100 million more doses of COVID-19 vaccines to developing countries by the end of 2021, President Xi Jinping said on Thursday.

Speaking at the 13th BRICS summit via video link, Xi Jinping said China has so far provided more than one billion doses of finished and bulk vaccines to more than 100 countries and international organisations and will strive to provide two billion doses of vaccines by the end of this year.

“I would like to take this opportunity to announce that on top of the $100 million donation to Covax, China will donate an additional 100 million doses of vaccines to fellow developing countries within this year,” Xi Jinping said.

Xi Jinping said the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries must strengthen public health cooperation and international cooperation on sharing vaccines.

“We need to promote global solidarity against COVID-19, join forces to tackle the pandemic, uphold a science-based approach to tracing its origins, and oppose the politicisation and stigmatisation,” Xi Jinping said, adding that the BRICS need to boost the research, production and equitable distribution of vaccines as a global public good.

Xi Jinping said the member countries should facilitate the “early launch of the BRICS Vaccine R&D Centre in a virtual format”.

On the issue of terrorism and security, Xi Jinping said the BRICS countries need to support each other on “issues concerning our respective core interests and jointly safeguard our sovereignty, security and development interests”.

The five BRICS leaders also adopted the New Delhi Declaration that said Afghan soil should not serve as a terrorist sanctuary to carry out attacks against other countries or become a centre for drug trafficking.

Xi Jinping said the five BRICS countries have become an important force on the international stage to reckon with, adding that the countries have expanded strategic communication among them. Xi Jinping echoed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who, in his opening remarks, said BRICS is an influential voice for emerging economies of the world and the countries must ensure that it becomes more productive in the next 15 years.

Besides Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping, the summit was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Brazil’s Jair Bolsanaro.

– THE HINDUSTAN TIMES