China to provide 100mn more Covid vaccines to developing nations: Xi Jinping

The Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered the opening remarks via video link at the 13th BRICS summit which was chaired by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

China will donate 100 million more doses of Covid-19 vaccines to developing countries by the end of 2021, President Xi Jinping said on Thursday.

This year’s BRICS summit was held virtually and marked the 15th anniversary of the grouping, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. China will donate 100mn more doses of Covid-19 vaccines to developing countries by the end of 2021, President Xi Jinping said. (AP)

Speaking at the 13th BRICS summit via video link, Xi Jinping said China has so far provided more than one billion doses of finished and bulk vaccines to more than 100 countries and international organisations and will strive to provide two billion doses of vaccines by the end of this year.

“I would like to take this opportunity to announce that on top of the $100 million donation to Covax, China will donate an additional 100 million doses of vaccines to fellow developing countries within this year,” Xi Jinping said.

Xi Jinping said the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries must strengthen public health cooperation and international cooperation on sharing vaccines.

“We need to promote global solidarity against Covid-19, join forces to tackle the pandemic, uphold a science-based approach to tracing its origins, and oppose the politicisation and stigmatisation,” Xi Jinping said, adding that the BRICS need to boost the research, production and equitable distribution of vaccines as a global public good.

Xi Jinping said the member countries should facilitate the “early launch of the BRICS Vaccine R&D Centre in a virtual format”.

On the issue of terrorism and security, Xi Jinping said the BRICS countries need to support each other on “issues concerning our respective core interests and jointly safeguard our sovereignty, security and development interests”.

Xi Jinping stressed on the need for the BRICS to have a “bigger, collective voice” to better coordinate positions on major international and regional issues. “The BRICS Counter Terrorism Action Plan adopted earlier this year should be implemented in real earnest.”

Xi Jinping said the five BRICS countries have become an important force on the international stage to reckon with, adding that the countries have expanded strategic communication among them.

Announcing that China will take over as the BRICS chair in 2022, Xi Jinping said the country looks forward to building a more closer and result-oriented partnership.

“Over the past 15 years, our five nations have enhanced strategic communication and political trust in the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and equality, respected each other’s social system and explored a sound way for nations to interact with each other,” Xi Jinping said. “The five countries have also conducted practical cooperation in various fields. BRICS countries have become an important force on the international stage to be reckoned with.”

“While seeking synergy between their development policies and drawing on their complementarities, the five countries have made solid progress in various areas of cooperation in the spirit of pragmatism, innovation and win-win cooperation, and have forged ahead on the common journey of development,” Xi Jinping said.

The five countries have supported multilateralism and taken part in global governance in the spirit of equity, justice, and mutual assistance, he said. “What has happened shows that come what may, we can make smooth, solid and sustained progress in BRICS cooperation as long as we pull our minds and our efforts,” Xi Jinping added.

“China looks forward to working with BRICS partners to deepen cooperation in all areas and build a closer and more results-oriented partnership to meet common challenges and create a better future,” Xi Jinping said.

Xi Jinping echoed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who, in his opening remarks, said BRICS is an influential voice for emerging economies of the world and the countries must ensure that it becomes more productive in the next 15 years.

Besides Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping, the summit was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Brazil’s Jair Bolsanaro.

Xi said that in order to promote BRICS practical cooperation, China proposes to hold multiple forums including the BRICS Industrial Internet and Digital Manufacturing Development Forum, the BRICS High-level Meeting on Climate Change, the BRICS Sustainable Development Big Data Forum, and online training courses for media from five countries.