China says "Xi Jinping also fully vaccinated with Chinese vaccine" amid water vaccine controversy... Foreign media call it a measure to restore trust

China: "Chinese Vaccines Do Not Cause Leukemia or Diabetes"
Foreign Media: "An Attempt to Ease Zero-COVID Policy"

Chinese President Xi Jinping is delivering a speech immediately after arriving in Hong Kong by high-speed train on June 30 to attend the 25th anniversary ceremony of Hong Kong's sovereignty return on July 1.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Chinese authorities have disclosed that high-ranking officials, including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, have received domestic COVID-19 vaccinations. This is the first time in one and a half years since the start of COVID-19 vaccinations, and foreign media analyzed this as a move to dispel distrust surrounding Chinese-made vaccines.

According to China’s state-run CCTV and others, Zheng Yixin, Deputy Director of the National Health Commission (NHC), stated at a press conference on the 23rd, "All current Party and state leaders have completed their COVID-19 vaccinations," adding, "I can confidently say that all the vaccines they received are 'domestically produced.'"

Deputy Director Zheng did not disclose specific details such as the names of the leaders vaccinated or the number of doses administered. However, in China, "Party and state leaders" typically refers to members of the Communist Party Central Politburo holding positions of vice premier or higher, so it is believed that the seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee, including President Xi and Premier Li, are included.

The NHC said, "This fully demonstrates that they (Party and state leaders) place great importance on epidemic prevention and control and have strong confidence in domestically produced vaccines."

Major foreign media outlets such as Bloomberg and the BBC interpreted this announcement as a step to quell controversies over side effects of Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines.

Previously, criticism that Chinese vaccines were "water vaccines" had been spreading, intensifying the controversy. China only permits the use of inactivated vaccines (killed vaccines) such as Sinopharm and Sinovac, which it developed domestically. These vaccines are known to be less effective than mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccines, leading to the "water vaccine" criticism.

There was also analysis that this move aims to increase vaccination rates and ease the "zero-COVID" policy stance. China had implemented strict epidemic control measures such as city lockdowns as COVID-19 cases surged, but prolonged measures led to growing public dissatisfaction. If the issue of low vaccination rates among the elderly, a major cause of the zero-COVID policy, is resolved, it would provide justification to relax epidemic control policies.

Deputy Director Zheng also actively refuted suspicions about side effects of Chinese vaccines. "China’s COVID-19 vaccines do not cause leukemia or diabetes," he said, emphasizing, "Three types of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines (Sinopharm, Sinovac, Convidecia) have received emergency use authorization from the World Health Organization (WHO), and over 100 countries have approved the use of Chinese vaccines."

He continued, "Leaders from more than 30 countries, including T?rkiye, Serbia, Cambodia, the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, Indonesia, Peru, and Chile, are leading by example in receiving (Chinese) vaccines," adding, "(China’s COVID-19) vaccines are widely recognized by the international community."

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