China has provided COVID-19 vaccines aids to 88 countries. Li Xingqian, head of the foreign trade department of China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), said in an interview with China Media Group recently.

China-donated COVID-19 vaccines to Vanuatu. The photo below is the handover ceremony.

Vanuatu Prime Minister Bob Loughman (4th,R) and Chinese Ambassador to Vanuatu Zhou Haicheng (3rd,R) attend the handover ceremony of the first batch of China-donated COVID-19 vaccines at the National Convention Center in Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, on June 7, 2021. (Str/Xinhua)

As of Sunday, the country had provided vaccine aid, including vaccine doses and syringes, to 66 countries and one international organization to fight COVID-19, according to MOFCOM.

The countries which received China's vaccine expanded from Asia to Africa, including Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Cambodia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Uganda.

The ministry collaborated with several government administrations and vaccine developers to expedite the COVID-19 vaccine and syringes supply to other countries.

It aims to provide vaccine aid to 88 countries and four international organizations.

China promised an additional US$ 3 billion aid.

China has made endeavours to have the vaccines accessible to more countries. At the Global Health Summit last month, China promised an additional $3 billion in international aid over the next three years to support COVID-19 response and socioeconomic recovery in other developing countries.

Chinese vaccines are now part of the immunization campaigns in many developing countries, including African countries, and have gained more recognition worldwide.

China also plans to set up a national centre as part of the BRICS Vaccine Research and Development Centre to boost vaccine research and development in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Chinese vaccines have won a good reputation in the international community, with their safety and effectiveness widely recognized. More than 100 countries have approved Chinese COVID-19 vaccines for use, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Friday.

Since the outbreak of the epidemic, China has insisted that vaccines are first and foremost a global public good, said Wang. The country has provided over 480 million doses of vaccines to the international community in spite of huge domestic demand and limited supply, making it the largest supplier of vaccines in the world.

Besides its vaccine assistance to nearly 100 countries, China has also announced to provide an initial 10 million doses to the global vaccine distribution initiative known as COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX).

The Chinese vaccines are the first doses available to many developing countries, which have hailed them as a "godsend," said Wang.

Appreciated by countries including Equatorial Guinea, Zimbabwe, Chile, Antigua and Barbuda, the Chinese vaccines are said to be safe and effective, and helped local people in containing the COVID-19 as well as in realizing herd immunity.

I will write another article “How can Malaysia get enough of Sinovac vaccine to save lives?”.