50 African Diplomats on Anti-Covid-19 Visit to China’s Sinopharm
Afro-Sino Health Mission
China’s largest, and the world’s fifth human vaccine research, development, and manufacturing enterprise Sinopharm saw a visit from Ambassadors and senior diplomats from 50 African countries on Thursday to deepen cooperation in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and build a better China-Africa health community.
Ernest Mbaimba Ndomahina, the Sierra Leonean ambassador to China, seems impressed by what he has seen so far, “This visit is so impactful and insightful. We’ve learned so much the greatness of China, how China is moving forward and moving this great nation forward, and also making sure that Africa is well and safe. So this cooperation, I believe, can empower Africa the more, it can strengthen that relationship the more.”
The diplomats visited the exhibition centre and vaccine production lab and learned about the latest clinical trials of the company’s Covid-19 vaccine – phase III for a possible candidate in ten countries, namely the United Arab Emirates, Peru, and Argentina. Over 50,000 volunteers are partaking in these trials.
James Kimonyo, the Rwandan ambassador to China, is feeling positive about the possibilities, “It is reassuring to see how big the facility is, how much experience this organization, this company — [a] subsidiary of Sinopharm, has accumulated over a period of time, developing vaccines on polio, on yellow fever, on smallpox, and many other diseases that have been treated or prevented by using the vaccines developed by this organisation. So for us, it’s an eye-opener. It’s reassuring and we hope that we get the vaccines anytime soon.”
China’s Covid-19 Help in Africa
Since the onset of coronavirus in Africa, the Chinese government has provided over 400 tons of medical supplies to the continent and nearly 200 medical experts have also been deployed to train more than 20,000 African medical personnel.
Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed back in May that developed Chinese Covid-19 vaccines will be a “global public good” – accessible and affordable to developing countries, especially those in Africa.
