GENEVA, May 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — China would make any coronavirus
vaccine it developed a “global public good” once it was put into use,
President Xi Jinping told the ongoing World Health Assembly.
China has five potential vaccines in clinical trials as countries
race to find a way to stop the pathogen that has killed over 315,000
people worldwide.
In his speech, Xi said: “After the research and development of
China’s coronavirus vaccine is completed and it is put into use, it
will be made a global public good.”
This move would be China’s contribution to achieving accessibility
and affordability of a vaccine in developing countries as well, Xi
said.
More vaccine candidates are in the pipeline and awaiting approval
for human trials, said Zeng Yixin, deputy director of the National
Health Commission, last week.
Experts say it will take at least 12 to 18 months to develop an
effective vaccine, or an even longer period.
Xi also told the assembly’s first-ever virtual gathering that China
will provide $2 billion in global COVID-19 aid over two years.
China supports a “comprehensive evaluation” of the global response to the coronavirus pandemic after it “has been brought under control”, Xi said.
Xi told the virtual meeting via video that China has “always had an
open, transparent and responsible attitude”, and had shared
information on the virus in a timely manner.
The assembly, held online for the first time in its history, is set
to discuss a resolution tabled by the European Union that calls for an
“impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation” of the
international response to the coronavirus crisis.
In his speech, Xi said that the inquiry into the global response
should “sum up experiences and improve shortcomings”.
Governments including the US and Australia have also called in
recent weeks for an investigation into the origins of the virus, which
has become a flashpoint in deteriorating tensions between Washington
and Beijing.
Both US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
have accused China of a lack of transparency over the issue, and
repeatedly pushed the theory that the virus emerged from a Wuhan
maximum-security laboratory.
Most scientists believe the virus originated in animals before it
was passed on to humans.
China has strenuously denied accusations of a cover up, insisting it
has always shared information with the WHO and other countries in a
timely manner. — NNN-AGENCIES