Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday offered to cooperate with India and other BRICS nations in the development of vaccines against the coronavirus and called for holding a symposium by the five-member bloc on traditional medicine to explore its role in the COVID-19
The virtual summit, hosted by Russia President Vladimir Putin, was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. “China has joined the COVAX facility and will actively consider providing vaccines to BRICS countries where there is a need,” Xi said.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said nine candidate vaccines, including two from China, are currently being evaluated for inclusion in the COVAX Facility. The COVAX is co-led by Gavi, an international vaccine alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the (WHO). Its aim is to accelerate the development and manufacture of vaccines. So far the coronavirus
“To support the development of BRICS Vaccine R&D centre, China has designated its own national centre. I propose we convene a BRICS symposium on traditional medicine to explore its role in coronavirus
Xi said the BRICS countries need to “overcome divisions with unity and pool the maximum global synergy to beat the virus.”
In his speech, Xi focussed on the need for the BRICS countries to support multilateralism, globalisation which faced headwinds from growing nationalism in the US and other developed countries and advanced five proposals for the five-member bloc. He said BRICS countries should uphold multilateralism and safeguarding world peace and stability, deepen solidarity and cooperation in jointly coping with the challenges of the COVID-19
“History teaches us that multilateralism, equity and justice can keep war and conflict at bay. While unilateralism and power politics will inflate dispute and confrontation. We BRICS countries must hold high the banner of multilateralism. We must endeavour to safeguard the UN centred internationals system and international order underpinned by international law, he said. “It is impossible to reverse the trends of world multi-polarity and economic globalisation,” he said.
“The practice of using the pandemic to pursue de-globalisation will end up hurting one’s own interests,” he said. The BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) is known as an influential bloc that represents over 3.6 billion people, or half of the world’s population. The BRICS countries have a combined GDP of USD 16.6 trillion.