China’s vaccination nationalism is softened as the country indicates it can approve foreign manufacturing

Last month, Beijing issued a new policy that makes it easier for foreigners to apply for a visa to China if they have received a Chinese vaccine. This has aroused concern among experts, who have warned that it poses a dangerous precedent that could set the world apart in vaccine. silos.

There was also a practical problem: in many countries, including the United States, it is impossible to get a Chinese vaccine because it has not been approved by regulators.

As about half of the adults in the U.S. received at least one shot of Covid-19, many travelers eligible to enter China – Chinese citizens or foreigners who managed to obtain a visa – were left unsure. whether the vaccine they receive would be deemed sufficient to travel to China.

The Chinese embassy in Washington finally gave clarity in a recent statement, which sets out what the test should be that travelers to China who have received one of the US-approved vaccines – Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson – should get to be approved entering the country.

As China is largely low on business and infection rates, it is likely that many will try the process soon, especially as the number of vaccines in the US continues to increase.

Last month, China introduced its own version of a vaccine passport, the International Travel Health Certificate (ITHC), to allow immunized people to travel more freely. The country is also moving in the direction of approving more vaccines, including foreign manufactures, which will make it easier for Chinese living overseas and foreigners hoping to travel to China to sign up with the ITHC.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Chinese officials have examined clinical trial data for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which may be approved for domestic use before July.
The Global Times, a state-run newspaper, quoted the head of the Chinese Vaccine Industry Association as saying that China’s approval would “show its care” for expats who want a foreign-made vaccine for easier recognition when they return home then. ‘

And the approval of the BioNTech vaccine, which has an impressive 97% efficacy, could also help China improve immunity levels among its own population, amid concerns over the relatively low efficacy of domestic vaccines and stock shortages.

However, with the Pfizer-BioNTech survey among those attacked by China’s propaganda organs, its approval may be more than merely scientific endorsement, and it remains to be seen how much damage the critics have had in terms of undermining the Chinese public’s confidence in foreign vaccines.

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a video speech at the Boao Forum for Asia in Hainan Province in southern China on April 20.

The business of China: Xi is aimed at bossy foreigners

Chinese President Xi Jinping this week called for global cooperation in the face of a growing anti-China front led by the United States, warning that an ‘open world economy’ is essential to tackle the coronavirus pandemic repair.

“Attempts to erect or dismantle walls are in violation of economic and market law,” Xi said Tuesday in a video at the Boao Forum for Asia in China. “They will harm the interests of others without benefiting yourself.”

“We must not allow the rules imposed by one or a few countries to be imposed on others, or the one-sidedness pursued by certain countries to set the pace for the whole world,” Xi added.

Although Xi did not name any country during his speech – top Chinese leaders do not mention and shame usually, his remarks seemed like a veiled criticism of the United States, which has increased pressure on China in recent months.

Last month, the US and its allies condemned Beijing and imposed coordinated sanctions on Chinese officials over alleged repression of Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang province. Most of the harsh sanctions imposed by the Trump administration against some of China’s most prominent technology companies remain in force, and trade tensions continue under Biden’s rule.

“Mastering others or interfering in others’ internal affairs will not get any support,” Xi said at the forum, which was attended by thousands of executives and political leaders.

Some of America’s biggest entrepreneurs and investors took part in the event as they tried to find the turbulent relationship between the two leading world economies. Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman and Ray Dalio, the billionaire founder of the world’s largest hedge fund, joined a panel on Monday night, according to organizers. Apple CEO Tim Cook and Tesla CEO Elon Musk are also expected to attend.

– Laura He, CNN Business

Quoted and noted

“At the invitation of US President Joe Biden, President Xi Jinping will attend the April 22 climate summit via Beijing and deliver a speech.”

– After US climate envoy John Kerry’s visit to Shanghai led to a dull but promising joint statementXi’s participation in Biden’s proposed leadership summit later this month, announced by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying, could be an important step forward, both in terms of warming the icy bilateral relationship and in tackling the unfolding climate catastrophe.
Fans cheer during the Guangzhou derby, the opening match of the new Chinese Super League season, on April 20 in Guangzhou, China.

The other Super League

With all the attention in the football world on the slow, ugly collapse of the European Super League (ESL), the Chinese The Super League (CSL) started its latest season on Tuesday with a somewhat more dignified start to a 2-2 draw in the Guangzhou derby.
It was only in the early 2010s, launched in 2004, that the CSL was on the verge of becoming a major force in world football, with millions of dollars tossed around and the major signings of foreign players, in response to a call from Xi himself to improve. China stands in world football, with a view to future World Cup glory.
This glory never came – China appeared only once in the international competition in 2002, falling in the qualifying round for the last World Cup and finishing last in its group.
The domestic game also did not exactly blind, despite the large sums of money poured into it and the importation of foreign talent inside and outside the field. And once the owners of free spending had less than the best returns on their investments.
Chen Junle (left) of Guangzhou City fights for the ball with Huang Bowen of Guangzhou FC during the opening match of the new Chinese Super League season.
Although some of the slowdown was due to the restrictions imposed by the government on maintaining commercialization, fans in particular complained about the way owners arbitrarily changed the names of clubs – they were also hit by the coronavirus pandemic, which the proponents are. of the new ESL also gave a reason for the refurbishment of European football.

Part of the plan is a declining interest attached to stadium attendees and home fans, and greater focus on broadcasting rights and international revenue, a model similar to the CSL, where the hope was that the lead signings of stars like Oscar and Carlos Tevez would bring viewers around the world.

But by loosening the game from its base and simply focusing on it as a money-making action – as the owners who work for the ESL are accused of it – it carries great risks. Earlier this year, Jiangsu FC, the reigning Chinese champions, were forced to cease operations due to a lack of money, a move that sent a panicked ripple through European football as the club acquired an owner, retail giant Suning, with prospective ESL founding member Inter Milan.

Photo of the day

The dark side of the sharing economy: A bicycle cemetery in Shenyang, northeast of Liaoning. Similar piles of abandoned bicycles have emerged in China rapid expansion and then the explosion of many bicycle sharing programs.

.Source