By Yan Yu, People’s Daily Overseas Edition<\/p>\n
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It is an urgent task facing countries to promote COVID-19 vaccination as the epidemic is still spreading across the world and threatening the lives and health of people from all countries.<\/p>\n
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At such a critical moment, however, “vaccine nationalism” creeps in. While certain high-income countries are hoarding COVID-19 vaccines, many low-income economies are denied access to vaccines.<\/p>\n
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To make matters worse, some Western media outlets have tried to defend “vaccine nationalism” and hinder global anti-pandemic cooperation.<\/p>\n
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“Vaccine nationalism” mainly refers to the fact that the governments of some high-income countries have signed agreements with pharmaceutical manufacturers to ensure that these companies will first supply vaccines to their populations before providing vaccines for other countries.<\/p>\n
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The seemingly justifiable move is in fact selfish and narrow-minded, and is very likely to impose the law of the jungle upon the global fight against the virus.<\/p>\n
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The truth is that these high-income countries have ordered vaccines much more than needed by their populations, which has not only resulted in a relative surplus of vaccines in these countries, but put many poor countries into a predicament of not being able to obtain the COVID-19 vaccines in time.<\/p>\n
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\u201cMore than 39 million doses of vaccine have now been administered in at least 49 higher-income countries. Just 25 doses have been given in one lowest-income country. Not 25 million; not 25 thousand; just 25,\u201d said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), in January at the opening meeting of the 148th session of the WHO Executive Board.<\/p>\n
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He expressed concern that the world is on the brink of a catastrophic moral failure in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.<\/p>\n
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As a matter of fact, “vaccine nationalism”, which is pursued by those with the “me first” mindset, will benefit no one.<\/p>\n
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The pandemic that has lasted for more than a year has taught the world that the lives and health of people in all countries have never been so closely connected as they are today.<\/p>\n
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Virus is the common enemy of mankind, and the only way to defeat it is to pull together with solidarity and cooperation.<\/p>\n
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If some high-income countries blindly hog COVID-19 vaccines, and make poor countries unable to access or afford the vaccines, the virus will continue to rage across the globe, and it will be more difficult for countries, including high-income countries, to defeat the epidemic.<\/p>\n
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“Vaccine nationalism” would\u00a0slow progress in ending the COVID-19 pandemic and could erode economic growth for all countries\u2014rich and poor, warned Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO).<\/p>\n
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\u201cVaccines are a powerful weapon against the virus and bring hope for saving lives. They should serve the entire world and benefit all humanity,\u201d Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a press conference in March.<\/p>\n
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At the opening of the 73rd session of the World Health Assembly held in May, 2020, Chinese President Xi Jinping solemnly pledged that COVID-19 vaccine development and deployment in China, when available, will be made a global public good, and this will be China’s contribution to ensuring vaccine accessibility and affordability in developing countries.<\/p>\n
China is a firm believer in making COVID-19 vaccines a public good as well as a committed front-runner in promoting international vaccine cooperation.<\/p>\n
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As a steadfast advocate for equitable vaccine distribution, the country has taken concrete actions to oppose “vaccine nationalism”.<\/p>\n
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China has joined the COVAX of the WHO, under which it has undertaken to provide an initial 10 million doses for emergency use in developing countries.<\/p>\n
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So far, China has donated or is donating COVID-19 vaccines to 69 developing countries in urgent need, and is exporting vaccines to 43 countries.<\/p>\n
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Responding to an appeal of the United Nations (UN), the country has donated vaccines to peacekeepers from various countries.<\/p>\n
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Only when countries work together to reject “vaccine nationalism”, promote fair and reasonable distribution, especially in developing countries, can they secure a final victory in the global fight against the virus.<\/p>\n
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Human beings live in a global village, and countries are increasingly interdependent and share a common future.<\/p>\n
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Only by abandoning “vaccine nationalism” and erasing “immunity gap” can humankind jointly defeat the virus and build a beautiful home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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