BEIJING: China on Wednesday said it would provide 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to the global COVAX initiative as it seeks to step-up its vaccine diplomacy amid projections from experts that India could become the “engine” for the distribution of the jabs to the world.
China offered to supply vaccines to COVAX even as it awaited emergency approval for its shots from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
COVAX, formally known as the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility, is a global initiative, which aims at ensuring that middle and lower-income countries get timely access to coronavirus vaccines.
China has decided to provide 10 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to COVAX to meet the urgent needs of developing countries, at the request of the WHO, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing here.
China last year joined COVAX, which is co-led by Gavi, an international vaccine alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and…