DUBAI (Reuters) – China wants to work with the United Arab Emirates on the production of affordable COVID-19 vaccines, the country’s top diplomat told the Emirates state news agency WAM on Saturday.
“We will work to expedite the bilateral production of the vaccines in a way that would contribute greatly to making sure the vaccines are available and affordable,” China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, kicking off a two-day official visit to the UAE, part of a wider regional tour.
The UAE was the first country outside China to roll out the Chinese-made Sinopharm vaccine in December 2020, saying it had 86% efficacy citing results from late-stage clinical trials.
Wang landed in the UAE from Tehran, where he signed a landmark 25-year cooperation agreement with his Iranian counterpart.
Reporting by Raya Jalabi; Editing by Alex Richardson