Delays, inconsistent data, spotty disclosures and the country’s attacks on Western rivals have marred its ambitious effort to portray itself as a leader in global healthChina’s coronavirus vaccines were supposed to deliver a geopolitical win that showcased the country’s scientific prowess and generosity. Instead, in some places, they have set off a backlash.
Officials in Brazil and Turkey have complained that Chinese companies have been slow to ship the doses and ingredients. Disclosures about the Chinese vaccines have been slow and spotty. The few announcements that have trickled out suggest that China’s vaccines, while considered effective, cannot stop the virus as well as those developed by Pfizer and Moderna, the American drugmaker
In the Philippines, some lawmakers have criticized the government’s decision to buy a vaccine made by a Chinese company, Sinovac. Officials in Malaysia and Singapore, which both ordered doses from Sinovac, have had to reassure their citizens that they would approve a vaccine only if it had been proved safe and effectiv
“Right now, I would not take any Chinese vaccine, because there’s insufficient data,” said Bilahari Kausikan, an influential former official at Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He added that he would consider it only with “a proper report
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At least 24 countries, most of them low and middle income, signed deals with the Chinese vaccine companies because they offered access when richer nations had claimed most of the doses made by Pfizer and Moderna. But the delays in getting the Chinese vaccines and the fact that the vaccines are less effective mean that those countries may take longer to vanquish the viru
ImageA Sinovac laboratory in Beijing. The world was caught off guard by the disclosure that the Sinovac vaccine may not be as effective as previously though
A Sinovac laboratory in Beijing. The world was caught off guard by the disclosure that the Sinovac vaccine may not be as effective as previously thought.Credit...Thomas Peter/Reuter
Beijing officials who had hoped the vaccines would burnish China’s global reputation are now on the defensive. State media has started a misinformation campaign against the American vaccines, questioning the safety of the Pfizer and Moderna shots and promoting the Chinese vaccines as a better alternative. It has also distributed online videos that have been shared by the anti-vaccine movement in the United States
Liu Xin, an anchor with CGTN, the state broadcaster, asked on Twitter why the foreign media had failed to “follow up” on the deaths of people in Germany who had taken one vaccine — though scientists have said the people were already seriously ill. Ms. Liu’s tweet was shared by Zhao Lijian, a top spokesman at China’s Foreign Ministr
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George Gao, the head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, has questioned the safety of the American vaccines because their developers used new techniques rather than the traditional method embraced by Chinese maker
China had hoped its vaccines would prove it had become a scientific and diplomatic powerhouse. It remains on a par with the United States in the number of vaccines approved for emergency use or in late-stage trials. Sinopharm, a state-owned vaccine maker, and Sinovac have said they can produce up to a combined two billion doses this year, making them essential to the global fight against the coronaviru
Unlike the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, their doses can be kept at refrigerated temperatures and are more easily transported, making them appealing to the developing world. They have been doled out as aid to countries like Pakistan and the Philippine
China’s campaign has been plagued with doubts, however. Many people have memories of the country’s vaccine scandals. Several governments remain angry about Beijing’s lack of openness about the virus in the early days of the pandemic. Its efforts at the start of last year to distribute masks and protective equipment to the West came under fire amid reports of shoddy quality and the demands by Chinese officials for public thank
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A YouGov survey this month of roughly 19,000 people in 17 countries and regions showed that most were distrustful of a Covid-19 vaccine made in China. The misinformation campaign surrounding Western vaccines could further undermine its imag
The delays in shipments to places like Brazil and Turkey have been the latest hitc
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The first shipment of the Sinovac vaccine arrived in Turkey on Dec. 30
The first shipment of the Sinovac vaccine arrived in Turkey on Dec. 30.Credit...Aytug Can Sencar/European Pressphoto Agency, via Shutterstoc
In Turkey, the government initially promised that 10 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine would arrive in December. Only three million did in early January, according to Fahrettin Koca, Turkey’s health minister. He did not explain the reason for the shortfall, which has been criticized by opposition politicians. The remaining doses finally arrived on Monday, according to Anadolu, Turkey’s state-run news agency
In a statement, China’s Foreign Ministry cited its needs at home, where the coronavirus has re-emerge
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“Currently, China’s domestic vaccine demand is huge,” it said. “While meeting domestic demand, we are overcoming difficulties, thinking and trying ways to develop international vaccine cooperation with other countries, especially developing countries in different ways, and providing support and assistance according to their needs and within our capacity
The sporadic outbreaks could also hinder production. Sinovac, which declined to comment, said on Friday online that it was looking for workers for a Beijing-area facility where an outbreak had frightened off potential employee
Countries like Turkey and Brazil are rolling out their immunization programs with a Sinovac vaccine because Western companies cannot deliver as quickly. But Brazil’s efforts have been delayed as well. Eduardo Pazuello, the country’s health minister, said China was not acting fast enough with the documents needed to export raw materials to Brazi
“We are making strong moves at the diplomatic level to find where that resistance is and solve the problem,” Mr. Pazuello said at a news conference on Jan. 1
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On Wednesday, Rodrigo Maia, Brazil’s speaker of the house, told reporters that he had met the Chinese ambassador to Brazil, who “made it clear that there is no political obstacle, that it was a technical process that was delayed a little.”
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Officials in Brazil and Turkey have complained that Chinese companies have been slow to ship the doses and ingredients. Disclosures about the Chinese vaccines have been slow and spotty. The few announcements that have trickled out suggest that China’s vaccines, while considered effective, cannot stop the virus as well as those developed by Pfizer and Moderna, the American drugmaker
In the Philippines, some lawmakers have criticized the government’s decision to buy a vaccine made by a Chinese company, Sinovac. Officials in Malaysia and Singapore, which both ordered doses from Sinovac, have had to reassure their citizens that they would approve a vaccine only if it had been proved safe and effectiv
“Right now, I would not take any Chinese vaccine, because there’s insufficient data,” said Bilahari Kausikan, an influential former official at Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He added that he would consider it only with “a proper report
ADVERTISEME
Continue reading the main sto
At least 24 countries, most of them low and middle income, signed deals with the Chinese vaccine companies because they offered access when richer nations had claimed most of the doses made by Pfizer and Moderna. But the delays in getting the Chinese vaccines and the fact that the vaccines are less effective mean that those countries may take longer to vanquish the viru
ImageA Sinovac laboratory in Beijing. The world was caught off guard by the disclosure that the Sinovac vaccine may not be as effective as previously though
A Sinovac laboratory in Beijing. The world was caught off guard by the disclosure that the Sinovac vaccine may not be as effective as previously thought.Credit...Thomas Peter/Reuter
Beijing officials who had hoped the vaccines would burnish China’s global reputation are now on the defensive. State media has started a misinformation campaign against the American vaccines, questioning the safety of the Pfizer and Moderna shots and promoting the Chinese vaccines as a better alternative. It has also distributed online videos that have been shared by the anti-vaccine movement in the United States
Liu Xin, an anchor with CGTN, the state broadcaster, asked on Twitter why the foreign media had failed to “follow up” on the deaths of people in Germany who had taken one vaccine — though scientists have said the people were already seriously ill. Ms. Liu’s tweet was shared by Zhao Lijian, a top spokesman at China’s Foreign Ministr
ADVERTISEME
Continue reading the main sto
George Gao, the head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, has questioned the safety of the American vaccines because their developers used new techniques rather than the traditional method embraced by Chinese maker
China had hoped its vaccines would prove it had become a scientific and diplomatic powerhouse. It remains on a par with the United States in the number of vaccines approved for emergency use or in late-stage trials. Sinopharm, a state-owned vaccine maker, and Sinovac have said they can produce up to a combined two billion doses this year, making them essential to the global fight against the coronaviru
Unlike the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, their doses can be kept at refrigerated temperatures and are more easily transported, making them appealing to the developing world. They have been doled out as aid to countries like Pakistan and the Philippine
China’s campaign has been plagued with doubts, however. Many people have memories of the country’s vaccine scandals. Several governments remain angry about Beijing’s lack of openness about the virus in the early days of the pandemic. Its efforts at the start of last year to distribute masks and protective equipment to the West came under fire amid reports of shoddy quality and the demands by Chinese officials for public thank
ADVERTISEME
Continue reading the main sto
A YouGov survey this month of roughly 19,000 people in 17 countries and regions showed that most were distrustful of a Covid-19 vaccine made in China. The misinformation campaign surrounding Western vaccines could further undermine its imag
The delays in shipments to places like Brazil and Turkey have been the latest hitc
Ima
The first shipment of the Sinovac vaccine arrived in Turkey on Dec. 30
The first shipment of the Sinovac vaccine arrived in Turkey on Dec. 30.Credit...Aytug Can Sencar/European Pressphoto Agency, via Shutterstoc
In Turkey, the government initially promised that 10 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine would arrive in December. Only three million did in early January, according to Fahrettin Koca, Turkey’s health minister. He did not explain the reason for the shortfall, which has been criticized by opposition politicians. The remaining doses finally arrived on Monday, according to Anadolu, Turkey’s state-run news agency
In a statement, China’s Foreign Ministry cited its needs at home, where the coronavirus has re-emerge
ADVERTISEME
Continue reading the main sto
“Currently, China’s domestic vaccine demand is huge,” it said. “While meeting domestic demand, we are overcoming difficulties, thinking and trying ways to develop international vaccine cooperation with other countries, especially developing countries in different ways, and providing support and assistance according to their needs and within our capacity
The sporadic outbreaks could also hinder production. Sinovac, which declined to comment, said on Friday online that it was looking for workers for a Beijing-area facility where an outbreak had frightened off potential employee
Countries like Turkey and Brazil are rolling out their immunization programs with a Sinovac vaccine because Western companies cannot deliver as quickly. But Brazil’s efforts have been delayed as well. Eduardo Pazuello, the country’s health minister, said China was not acting fast enough with the documents needed to export raw materials to Brazi
“We are making strong moves at the diplomatic level to find where that resistance is and solve the problem,” Mr. Pazuello said at a news conference on Jan. 1
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Continue reading the main sto
On Wednesday, Rodrigo Maia, Brazil’s speaker of the house, told reporters that he had met the Chinese ambassador to Brazil, who “made it clear that there is no political obstacle, that it was a technical process that was delayed a little.”
China Wanted to Show Off Its Vaccines. It’s Backfiring. (Published 2021)
Delays, inconsistent data, spotty disclosures and the country’s attacks on Western rivals have marred its ambitious effort to portray itself as a leader in global health.
