Vaccine Diplomacy
Vaccine Diplomacy, is such an important word that it’s even got its own Wikipedia page, defined as “the use of vaccines to improve a country’s diplomatic relationship and influence of other countries”.
What’s amazing is that when China states it will donate vaccines to 53 countries, western media finds a way to write the headlines as a bad thing[JG1] . Their usual methodology is to write something like this: “…but critics have accused China of vaccine diplomacy to win political influence”. With the exception of the reporter who penned the article, no critic is ever bought forward to pronounce any bad deeds, in other words, the reporter, the editor and the news publisher want the reader to feel there’s something bad, but they haven’t got a name of expert in the field who actually says it’s bad. This is how we’re influenced to believe something that isn’t true.
OK, we can agree that ultimately China may become stronger, or better friends with the countries that it helps, this is a norm, if someone helps you, you appreciate it. But what’s the price of that friendship? The health and safety of millions of people, the ability to travel and trade freely and the freedom to do business with countries that helped you, and even with those that didn’t — one thing China has never been seen to do is invoke it’s “diplomatic power” to make changes to regimes, encourage or influence governments to deal only with them and exclude others — this is not China’s way. Everything you see and read about China’s relationships is based on mutual growth and non-interference. This isn’t such a bad price to pay, in negotiations it’s even got a name — it’s called Win/Win.
Vaccines are no different. The fact that some of China’s vaccines are going to EU countries isn’t going to change anything in that country, it isn’t going to influence the EU and it certainly isn’t going to affect the USA, Canada, UK or Australia, who seem quite upset by this (four of the 5 eyes, New Zealand seems quite neutral on the matter). All “vaccine diplomacy” is going to do there is help the people of that country.
As of mid-March, China had vaccinated 52 million people, this is a great achievement, but still lags behind that of the USA and Israel in terms of ratio (number of people per 1000 vaccinated[JG2] ). Chinese experts unofficially believe that 40% of the population could be vaccinated by the middle of the year, incredible numbers, and as many as 70–80% could be vaccinated by the end of the year. Logistics are difficult, there are many obstacles to overcome, but if any country could achieve targets like this China has proven to be that country.
What isn’t so widely known is that while China may not have been so active in internal distribution of vaccines, there’s a very good reason. It’s been very active in the production and shipment of COVID-19 vaccines to places where it’s more urgently needed. When the Press Secretary to the [JG3] United States President, Jen Psaki, made an announcement that the American people were more important than their neighbours and vaccines would not be sent to Mexico — it’s nearest neighbour, a bordering country and one with which it has a trade deal (the USMCA), China was already on the job sending vaccines and doing deals to send more. Also, in contrast to the USA, China has sent vaccines to Pakistan, Cambodia, Myanmar and several other neighbouring countries. To be accused of “cherry picking” countries to help, is wrong. to be accused of helping neighbours and countries less fortunate than China is more accurate. And, let’s be frank, it’s in China’s interests to get as many neighbours fixed up as possible so borders can reopen and normal life can resume.
Why isn’t China doing more vaccinations at home, would be a fair question and the answer is simple, there isn’t a need. It’s been weeks since the last known local infection. Everyday there are articles in Chinese news reporting people arriving in China already infected, testing positive or asymptomatic. These are picked up in the routine checks and quarantined on arrival. China’s New Year celebrations came and went this year without the usual mass travel and huge gatherings for which China is famous. People here listened to the advice, stayed in place, reduced their exposure and wore masks when they went out — consequently not a singe case of COVID-19 has occurred in Mainland China since before the New Year.
Many, not so lucky countries, however, have received shipments of Chinese manufactured vaccines. More than forty countries have already received and are vaccinating their citizens, some are in trails, some are for emergency use and some are fully approved, depending on the country. As well as the 53 countries that China will donate to, there are also deals to sell vaccines to a further 27.
China is racing to help, but not just neighbours and trading partners, it’s helping Asians, Africans, Latin Americans and Europeans. Yes, it’s a race, but not a race against competing powers to develop the best, the fastest or the most popular vaccine — it’s a race to help the world get back to normal and avoid many more unnecessary deaths
“Vaccine diplomacy” shouldn’t be what concerns news reporters. Everyone needs this vaccine, the entire world will eventually get vaccinated but the people who need it most should get it first, the people who can least afford it need help with donations. These are decisions that are very easy to make and China has made them, they’re also decisions that are very hard to criticise.
[JG1]https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-chinas-vaccine-favouritism-risks-damaging-global-fight-against-pandemic-says-expert-12243343
[JG2]https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-vaccine-tracker-global-distribution/
[JG3]https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/01/biden-mexico-covid-vaccine-sharing-471939
