UAE, China To Work Together To Produce Affordable, Readily Available Covid-19 Vaccines

Following successful clinical trials of China’s Sinopharm vaccine in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) late last year, the Emirates began administering the jab to residents in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other cities. Lauding the partnership between the two countries, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said they had worked efficaciously through the roll-out of the Sinopharm inoculation and vowed to join the UAE in producing vaccines, while making them readily available and affordable, in an attempt to curb the Covid-19 pandemic as soon as possible. The UAE will also be manufacturing the Sinopharm vaccine locally.

“I would like to say that China is making sure to work with the UAE to continue the co-operation between the two countries,” Wang told state news agency Wam. “First, we will work to expedite the bilateral production of the vaccines in a way that would contribute greatly to making sure the vaccines are available and affordable.”

In January 2021, the UAE hit a deal with China to manufacture the vaccine, while also securing millions of shots for the population. The country will begin producing the vaccine under licence from the Chinese medicine maker later this year to meet not only local but also expected global demand. “These efforts did not only benefit the Chinese and UAE people, but the entire world in its fight against the pandemic,” the minister said, adding, “The co-operation between the UAE and China during the Covid-19 pandemic symbolises the deep trust between the two countries.” Mr Wang said China and the UAE will also work together to establish vaccination certificates to make international travel easier. “We are confident that because of the bilateral efforts between China and the UAE, there would be more and better results in fighting the pandemic that would also result in a stronger international rhythm,” he concluded.

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