China Supplies Vaccines to South China Sea Sovereignty Claimants... The Issue Is Effectiveness

Vaccine Supply to Southeast Asia Including Indonesia, Myanmar, and the Philippines
Lower Efficacy of Chinese Vaccines Compared to US and UK Limits Supply Volume

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] China is supplying COVID-19 vaccines to the South China Sea territorial claimants. However, there are concerns that the supply volume may be limited due to the lower efficacy of Chinese vaccines compared to those from the United States and the United Kingdom.

The Chinese state-run Global Times reported on the 13th that Indonesia has granted emergency approval for a COVID-19 vaccine developed domestically by China. The media added that China will supply the vaccine in a semi-finished form to Indonesia's state-owned pharmaceutical company Bio Farma. The supply volume is 15 million doses.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Chinese government had previously supplied 1.2 million doses of the vaccine to Indonesia, and the Global Times reported that Indonesian President Joko Widodo has received the Chinese vaccine.

The media also noted that regarding this vaccine supply to Indonesia, Chinese President Xi Jinping promised last November to prioritize support to ASEAN countries once the vaccine was developed.

The media added that Wang Yi, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister, officially visited four ASEAN countries?Myanmar, Indonesia, Brunei, and the Philippines?in connection with vaccine supply.

In fact, on the 12th, Wang met with Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and pledged support for COVID-19 vaccines and epidemic prevention supplies. Myanmar is a traditional ally of China and a key partner in the Belt and Road Initiative.

China is also expected to supply additional vaccines to the Philippines, which has the second-highest number of confirmed cases in Southeast Asia. The Philippines is the country most sensitive about the South China Sea territorial disputes. In 2016, the Philippines filed a lawsuit with the Permanent Court of Arbitration and won the territorial dispute against China in the South China Sea.

The Global Times reported that Chinese vaccines will also be supplied to Thailand and Malaysia, which were not included in Wang’s Southeast Asia visit. It stated that a total of 2 million doses will be supplied to Thailand: 200,000 doses in February, 800,000 in March, and 1 million in April.

It also introduced that negotiations are underway with Malaysian pharmaceutical company Pharmaniaga for vaccine supply.

Meanwhile, the Global Times reported that Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine showed 100% efficacy in preventing severe cases, 77.9% efficacy in preventing mild cases, and an overall efficacy of 50.4% in clinical trials in Brazil. This is lower than the efficacy rates of Pfizer (95%), Moderna (94.1%), and AstraZeneca (70.8%) vaccines.