Yang Jiechi, Member of the Political Bureau, Tours Africa and the Middle East with Vaccines

Qatar, Uganda, Zambia, and Kuwait Visits... Aiming to Enhance Bilateral Relations with China
Minister Wang Yi Emphasizes "Vaccines as a Public Good" at UN Security Council Meeting

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] Yang Jiechi, a member of the Communist Party Political Bureau in charge of China's foreign policy, is embarking on a tour of the Middle East and Africa for vaccine diplomacy.

According to the Chinese state-run People's Daily on the 19th, Yang will visit Qatar, Uganda, Zambia, and Kuwait from the 19th to the 23rd to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (land and maritime Silk Road) through COVID-19 prevention support.

Yang Jiechi, Member of the Political Bureau in charge of Foreign Affairs of the Communist Party

Hua Chunying, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, introduced, "During this tour, Political Bureau member Yang plans to deeply discuss bilateral relationship enhancement, regional situations, and global governance issues."

Spokesperson Hua added, "Through this tour, we hope to solidify friendship with these four countries and strengthen cooperation in various fields within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. China aims to work with these countries to uphold multilateralism and global and regional security."

The purpose of Yang's tour is interpreted as securing allies through vaccine diplomacy.

On the 17th, Wang Yi, China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister, urged equitable distribution to developing countries during a ministerial-level video conference on COVID-19 vaccines held by the United Nations Security Council, stating, "Vaccines are flowing massively into high-income countries while poor countries receive almost nothing."

Minister Wang also mentioned President Xi Jinping's declaration of COVID-19 vaccines as a "public good," promising, "China will definitely uphold this."

The Global Times reported on the 18th that the Sinopharm vaccine developed by China arrived at Budapest Airport in Hungary, making Hungary, an EU member state, the first country to import the Chinese vaccine. The media also reported that Chinese vaccines have arrived and begun administration in African countries such as Senegal, Morocco, and Zimbabwe, and that China will continue to supply more vaccines.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.