March 17, 2021 - Epoch Times
06:16
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| As one of the COVID-19 vaccine producers in the world, China is trying to compete with the West for political and economic influence. | |
| On March 12th, the four quad countries, India, Japan, the United States, and Australia, agreed to commit to manufacturing one billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine for distribution in Asia. | |
| On the next day, China announced that it will ease visa rules for foreigners who have been inoculated with Chinese-made vaccines. | |
| China's foreign ministry office in Hong Kong said that starting from March 15th, China will simplify visa applications for foreigners who have been inoculated with Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines. | |
| The simplified process resumes pre-pandemic application requirements and will be available only to applicants inoculated with Chinese-produced vaccines. | |
| A certificate of vaccination must be presented as proof. | |
| However, foreign travelers who have received non-Chinese vaccines will continue to be required to present negative nucleic acid tests and a health and travel declaration form. | |
| Thomas DeLuca, a professor in the political science department at Fordham University, told NTD that he does not understand why the Chinese Communist Party, CCP, chose to do this. | |
| I mean, it seems to me, you know, a good vaccine is a good vaccine. | |
| And it shouldn't matter, you know, where the vaccine is made. | |
| If the goal is to have people, if the goal is to protect the Chinese people from COVID, then it seems to me what you want is for everybody to be vaccinated with a high-quality vaccine. | |
| Professor DeLuca said he had been inoculated with Moderna's vaccine, so he will not get another shot of China's vaccine, even if it means he has to cancel a trip to China. | |
| I've been vaccinated, so if I wouldn't be able to enter China, then I wouldn't be able to go. | |
| The Chinese regime is trying to win the vaccine race with the West and has provided vaccine aid to African and Latin American countries, including Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea. | |
| Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently stated that China will provide vaccines to athletes participating in the postponed Tokyo Olympics. | |
| The International Olympic Committee has also agreed to purchase Chinese vaccines to be administered to willing Olympic participants. | |
| However, Team Japan has rejected the offer because Sinopharm Group's vaccine has not been approved for use in Japan. | |
| The Australian Olympic Committee also announced on March 13 that it would not consider vaccines made in China. | |
| As a matter of fact, most Western countries have not yet approved Chinese-made vaccines because Chinese companies refuse to share details of clinical trials. | |
| In the Philippines, some lawmakers have criticized the government's decision to buy COVID-19 vaccine from Chinese company Sinovac. | |
| Malaysia and Singapore both ordered doses from Sinovac, but officials had to reassure their citizens that they would approve the use of a vaccine only if it had been proven safe and effective. | |
| Bilahari Kaushikun, an influential former official at Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, Right now, I would not take any Chinese vaccine because there's insufficient data. | |
| To counter the growing Chinese influence in Asia, the Quad Group decided to produce 1 billion doses of Johnson& Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine for Southeast Asia. | |
| Specifically, India will manufacture the vaccines. | |
| Funding will be provided by the United States and Japan, while Australia will provide the logistical support to strengthen access and delivery in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. | |
| I think it has multiple purposes. | |
| One, of course, is that it's vital for the United States and for all countries to help vaccinate the world against COVID because no country is safe as long as the pandemic exists anywhere. | |
| So that's certainly one of the motivations. | |
| But it's also at the same time true that the number of people, number of vaccinations that have taken place, for example, in Africa, The Quad Summit, a virtual meeting, was the first multilateral meeting President Joe Biden attended after he took oath in January. | |
| Professor DeLuca believes that there are three reasons for Biden to take the Quad meeting seriously. | |
| Well, I think that probably... | |
| I think there are several reasons. | |
| One, of course, is the COVID crisis, right? | |
| So I think that's one reason why this Quad meeting around how to address the COVID crisis. | |
| Secondly, I think he really wants to separate himself from the previous administration of Donald Trump. | |
| He wants to show that he's very interested in engaging in multilateral diplomacy. | |
| And then thirdly, I do think that these countries are concerned about China. | |
| And so there's probably an effort to shore up the relationships between these countries. | |
| National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated at a White House press briefing on March 12th that the Quad Summit was historic because it cemented a group of strong democracies that will work together going forward to secure a free and open Indo-Pacific. | |
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