Coronavirus: China’s firms ‘set to export 400 million vaccine doses’

But questions remain about the shots, the trial data and how vaccinating the Chinese population at home fits with Beijing’s overseas aims

It is a chance for the country to boost its reputation for pharmaceuticals, says observer

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Indonesia is among the first countries to receive supplies of Chinese-developed coronavirus vaccine candidates. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 8:55pm, 21 Dec 2020Updated: 1:42am, 22 Dec 2020

China’s drug makers have arrangements to supply nearly 400 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to other countries, as roll-outs begin around the world and governments scramble for access to jabs.

Three front-running Chinese firms – China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm), Sinovac Biotech and CanSino Biologics – have made those deals to supply countries in Latin America, the Middle East and Asia, according to public data compiled by both British analytics firm Airfinity and the Duke Global Health Innovation Centre in the United States.

The agreements come alongside Beijing’s diplomatic promise for Chinese-made vaccines to be a “global public good” for developing countries.

Experts say political will and industry capacity mean China could play a significant role in improving limited global supply of Covid-19 vaccines. But questions remain about vaccine efficacy and data transparency, as well as how Beijing will balance its overseas aims with vaccinating its domestic population of 1.4 billion.

In a briefing on the weekend, health officials said China had yet to approve any of its home-grown vaccine candidates for general use, but some candidates had collected enough data for interim analysis of their phase 3 trials and this was being submitted to regulators for review on a rolling basis.

Nonetheless, doses of Chinese-developed vaccines have already begun being shipped around the world, with countries that helped clinical trials for Chinese companies among those with early access.

Coronavirus: China’s firms ‘set to export 400 million vaccine doses’

But questions remain about the shots, the trial data and how vaccinating the Chinese population at home fits with Beijing’s overseas aims It is a chance for the country to boost its reputation for pharmaceuticals, says observer

But questions remain about the shots, the trial data and how vaccinating the Chinese population at home fits with Beijing’s overseas aims

It is a chance for the country to boost its reputation for pharmaceuticals, says observer