Iron Brother to Pakistan’s rescue with Covid-19 vaccine

China has proved once again that it remains Pakistan’s Iron Brother by making it the first country in the world to receive vaccines donated by the Chinese government. Living up to its promise of providing 500,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Pakistan by January 31, a special PAF air transport aircraft brought the much-needed lifesaving drugs from Beijing. At a solemn ceremony held at the Nur Khan Base in Islamabad, 0.5 million doses of the eagerly-awaited vaccines were handed over to Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping for gifting the Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine.

Overwhelmed by the gesture, Pakistan’s foreign minister, while talking to the media, stated that the “gift is a practical proof of friendship between the two countries,” adding that “China once again demonstrated its everlasting friendship with Pakistan,” by helping it in times of need.

While international media was glutted with images of the delivery and distribution of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines in Europe and the USA, underdeveloped economies looked on with envy. With Chinese COVAX Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine having received approval following clinical trials, the equitable access and distribution of these vaccines to protect people in all countries is now being assured.

Chinese culture and its ancient philosophy disparages chest thumping and blowing one’s own trumpet. Unlike Pfizer and Moderna developers, the Chinese scientists and researchers put down their heads to the task and working quietly, came up with startling results. Unlike the western vaccine, the Chinese injections can be transported in normal temperatures and do not have to be kept at -80°C. Having once been a developing country itself, China itself is aware of the logistic challenges of transporting the vaccine in extreme temperatures. Third world countries, including Pakistan, do not have the “cold chain” that will allow them to transport the vaccine in required temperatures from the point of origin to the hospitals. This aspect alone makes the Chinese vaccine better suited for Pakistan and third world countries.

Pakistan had wholeheartedly participated in the clinical trials of two Chinese vaccines; one of them by Sinopharm, cleared phase 3 clinical trials, showing good results in multiple countries. In Pakistan, the trial was conducted at the Karachi University’s International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences and Indus Hospital. The phase 3 clinical trial of another Chinese vaccine was being administered at the National Institute of Health.

Despite the fact that China is leading the world with several vaccines in advanced stages of R&D and with ample production capacity, it signed an agreement with the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) on October 8, 2020, officially joining the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX), an initiative that aims to accelerate the development and manufacturing of vaccines for the COVID-19 and ensure that every country enjoys equitable access to the vaccines. The initiative intends to provide two billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines for higher-income self-financing countries and lower-income funded nations by the end of 2021.

At the request of the WHO, China has decided to offer 10 million doses of vaccines to COVAX, mainly to meet the urgent need of the developing world. The containment situation faced by all countries is still very serious, and China is also facing a huge domestic demand for vaccines. But still, it is doing whatever is possible to promote the equitable distribution of vaccines.

It is laudable that China attaches great importance to the WHO Director-General Tedros’ call to vaccinate priority populations in all nations within the first 100 days of this year. At the request of the WHO, China has decided to provide 10 million doses of vaccines to COVAX, mainly to meet the urgent need in developing countries. This is another important measure taken by China to promote equitable distribution of vaccines, advance international cooperation in fighting the pandemic and apply the vision of a community of common health for humankind.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan, in which China has already taken concrete steps to ensure that the strategic and fraternal ties between the Iron Brothers reach the highest level. The true test of friendship is during adversity. According to a Chinese proverb: “Only when the years grow cold do we see that the pine and cypress are the last to fade; only when we get into trouble do we know who our genuine friends are.”

The way China has stood by Pakistan during every trial and tribulation is remarkable. In the realm of the global pandemic, Chinese ambassador to Pakistan, in a recent interview, stated: “...China, as a responsible major country in the international community, and a reliable partner who withstands the test in the face of danger, will do its best to make safe and effective Chinese vaccines available and affordable for the Pakistani people, and to boost Pakistan’s economy to full recovery at an early date.”