The COVID-19 vaccine developed by Sinovac, a Beijing-based pharmaceutical company, in Lianyungang, east China's Jiangsu Province, January 18, 2021. /Getty
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday called for global cooperation on COVID-19 vaccine development and urged the international community to jointly oppose bullyism and politicization of the matter.
Wang made the remarks during his phone talks with Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba respectively.
Say no to bullyism
When talking to Kazakhstan's Tleuberdi, Wang said the bilateral ties witnessed a high-level development despite difficulties in the past year as the two countries joined hands and helped each other in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Wang called on the two sides to align their cooperation plans, deepen cooperation in production capacity and investment, upgrade the level of connectivity, promote cooperation in vaccine research, development, and procurement, explore cooperation in the fields of digital economy, e-commerce and artificial intelligence, and continuously inject new impetus into the development of bilateral relations.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) greets Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi on the sidelines of the 14th Foreign Ministers' Meeting of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Madrid, Spain, December 15, 2019. /Chinese Foreign Ministry
He also hailed the appointment of Tleuberdi as deputy prime minister and foreign minister. Noting this year marks the 30th anniversary of the country's independence, Wang expected Kazakhstan to make great strides over the next 30 golden years.
China is willing to take the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between the two countries as an opportunity and take the high-quality construction of the Belt and Road as the mainline to push forward the cooperation between the two countries in various fields, said Wang.
According to Wang, the U.S. side maliciously attacked and smeared China on issues related to Xinjiang and Hong Kong, wantonly interfered in China's internal affairs, and seriously violated the basic norms of international relations.
He believed Kazakhstan will join countries that uphold justice in standing by the international equity and justice, and jointly rejecting bullyism, double standards and meddling in the internal affairs of other countries.
Cooperation on COVID-19 vaccine
Speaking with his Pakistani counterpart Qureshi, Wang said the enduring friendship between China and Pakistan is already "time-tested." Facing the "once-in-a-century virus" pandemic, Wang said the Chinese government has decided to provide vaccine aid to Pakistan.
China will take concrete actions to promote vaccine cooperation with other countries, in particular, offering assistance and support to developing countries, Wang added.
Noting this year also marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Pakistan, Wang called on the two sides to coordinate to make plans for the celebrations marking the 70th anniversary to lift the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership to a new level.
Wang Yi (R) holds the second strategic dialogue between China and Pakistan with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in south China's Hainan Province, August 21, 2020. /Xinhua
Cooperation against COVID-19 also includes Ukraine, which is currently benefiting from the anti-pandemic aid offered by China.
Apart from assuring China's support in the fight against the pandemic, Wang told Ukraine's foreign minister that China opposes politicizing the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine.
China appreciates the objective and just position taken by Ukraine's leaders on this issue, said Wang, adding the country stands ready to take concrete actions to fulfill its commitment to making vaccines a global public good.
(With input from Xinhua)