A batch of China-donated Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Malabo, capital of Equatorial Guinea, on Wednesday.

The Chinese aid is the fruit of the excellent relations between the two countries, said Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, Vice President of Equatorial Guinea, who received the vaccines at the airport.

"Faced with the pandemic, no country, no matter how powerful, is not spared. However, in this context of crisis, only China has extended its hand to Equatorial Guinea, which has become the first African country to receive Chinese vaccine aid, and we are grateful for it," he said.

This is the first shipment of vaccine aid provided by the Chinese government to African countries, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin. 

During the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity against COVID-19 held in June 2020, African countries were reassured to be the first beneficiaries of Chinese vaccines. China has kept its promise to deliver the vaccines to Equatorial Guinea as soon as possible, which will help it defeat the coronavirus, said Qi Mei, Chinese ambassador to Equatorial Guinea.

The safety and effectiveness of Chinese vaccines are recognized by the international community. Despite huge domestic demand for vaccines, China is determined to overcome the challenges to make vaccines an accessible and affordable public product for developing countries, she said.