The COVID-19 vaccine assistance provided by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) to some foreign militaries is not out of any geopolitical calculation or attached to political strings, a Chinese military spokesperson said Thursday.

Upon approval by the Central Military Commission, the PLA recently sent several batches of COVID-19 vaccines to the Pakistani, Cambodian, Mongolian and Philippine militaries, according to Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense.

This is part of China's efforts to fulfill its international commitments and make its vaccines global public goods, Ren said, adding that the move has been highly recognized and widely welcomed by the international community.