China expected to skip global Covid-19 summit co-hosted by Joe Biden
- Analysts say they believe Beijing will not take part in the event for fear its policies will be attacked in the wake of the Shanghai outbreak
- China’s approach is at odds with many countries, which have started to relax controls despite the threat from the Omicron variant
The White House announced on Monday that President Joe Biden will co-chair the virtual event on May 12 trying to put an end to the pandemic crisis and prepare for future health threats.
Indonesia, the current G20 president, G7 president Germany, African Union chair Senegal and Belize, the current chair of the Caricom Caribbean grouping will co-host the event.
Beijing has so far refused to clarify if it would attend the virtual gathering, which was originally scheduled in March.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday that Beijing was aware of the event and “China welcomes all efforts conducive to promoting international solidarity and science-based response to Covid-19”.
Although coronavirus death rates are plummeting globally, “the emergence and spread of new variants, like Omicron, have reinforced the need for a strategy aimed at controlling Covid-19 worldwide,” said a White House statement. It also stressed the need to “prepare now to build, sustain, and finance the global capacity” for future health crises.
