YEREVAN, 8 FEBRUARY, ARMENPRESS/ PARTNER NEWS:3rd 2021, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Regular Press Conference: China has officially joined COVAX and is in close communication with the WHO and other sponsors of the plan, working together to make vaccines a global public good and make them more accessible and affordable to developing countries. China attaches great importance to Director-General Tedros' call to vaccinate priority populations in all nations within the first 100 days of this year. We also attach great importance to the difficulties facing the practical implementation of COVAX, in particular the huge vaccine supply gap in February and March. At the request of the WHO, China has decided to provide 10 million doses of vaccines to COVAX, mainly to meet the urgent need in developing countries. This is another important measure taken by China to promote equitable distribution of vaccines, advance international cooperation in fighting the pandemic, and apply the vision of a community of common health for mankind.

The containment situation faced by all countries is still very serious, and China is also facing a huge domestic demand for vaccines. But still, China will do whatever can be done to promote the equitable distribution of vaccines. Vaccine should be made a global public good accessible and affordable to people in the developing countries, instead of a luxury for the privileged. We hope that all countries, with the capacity to do so, will engage actively and take real steps to support COVAX, and ensure timely vaccine access for the developing world. For mankind to achieve the final victory over the virus as early as possible, every member of the international community should pitch in.As for the prices of the vaccines, vaccines produced with different technologies will cost differently. But one thing for sure is that China will honor its pledge of making vaccines a global public good and offer its vaccines at fair and reasonable prices.

Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Armenia