South Asian countries such as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are turning to China for a vaccine against the corona virus as India suspends its exports due to the widespread spread of the virus in the country and growing demand for the vaccine. ۔
Analysts say this will help Beijing increase its influence in the strategically important Indian Ocean region.
China has donated 1.1 million doses of its cyanobacterial vaccine to Sri Lanka, while Bangladesh has received 500,000 doses in earlier donations from China this month. China has also promised to provide another 1 million doses of the vaccine to Nepal.
China's supply will help countries resume vaccination, which was halted after India's suspension. Due to the growing number of cases of the global epidemic, there was a fear that the second wave of corona virus, which India is trying to fight, would not engulf neighboring countries.
Michael Kogelman, program director for South Asia at the Wilson Center, a US think tank, says the suspension of vaccine exports from India is a strategic opportunity for Beijing. He says that at a time when Beijing is having a difficult time with its reputation, vaccine diplomacy can help China in this endeavor.
Many countries, such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, which have been reluctant to use Chinese-made vaccines, received approval from the World Health Organization last month for emergency use of the Chinese vaccine Synoform after their The way is clear for China to get the vaccine.
Earlier, the country was relying on India, which earlier this year supplied astraZeneca and other vaccines to several countries, including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. These countries had also placed commercial orders with serum laboratories, the world's largest vaccine makers based in India, but their supply was halted due to the rapid spread of the epidemic in India.
In a video conference with several Asian countries last month, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Jiechi offered to keep emergency stocks of vaccines for the region.
Analysts say that now that China is moving to fill the gap left by India, vaccine diplomacy could help Beijing in the region, which has infrastructure projects in several countries under its Belt and Road program. Wants to complete
Harsh Pant, director of the Delhi-based Overseas Research Foundation, says that given the fact that the crisis could continue in the future, if India fails to play its part in the vaccine until a few months after the situation stabilizes, China will become a major player.
In Sri Lanka, China has already completed several major infrastructure projects, including a port, roads and railways, and is now building a major port near Colombo.
Asanga Abe Yaguna Sekera, a political analyst in Colombo, says China has found another way to further increase its growing presence in the country with the help of vaccines.
Before the outbreak of the second wave of epidemics, India had sent 65 million doses of the vaccine to foreign countries, after which exports had to be stopped. New Delhi is expected to be able to restore the supply of vaccines once the epidemic is brought under control. Experts say that does not seem possible until the end of this year.
On the other hand, China is emerging as the world's largest exporter of vaccines. He is currently helping countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America to control the global epidemic by providing vaccines.
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