Chinese vaccines have won a good reputation in the international community, with their safety and effectiveness widely recognized. More than 100 countries have approved Chinese COVID-19 vaccines for use, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Friday.

Since the outbreak of the epidemic, China has insisted that vaccines are first and foremost a global public good, said Wang. The country has provided over 480 million doses of vaccines to the international community in spite of huge domestic demand and limited supply, making it the largest supplier of vaccines in the world.

Besides its vaccine assistance to nearly 100 countries, China has also announced to provide an initial 10 million doses to the global vaccine distribution initiative known as COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX).

The Chinese vaccines are the first doses available to many developing countries, which have hailed them as a "godsend," said Wang.

Appreciated by countries including Equatorial Guinea, Zimbabwe, Chile, Antigua and Barbuda, the Chinese vaccines are said to be safe and effective, and helped local people in containing the COVID-19 as well as in realizing herd immunity.

The country has also carried out joint research, development and production with many developing countries, and supported relevant enterprises to conduct phase III clinical trials in cooperation with foreign partners, Wang added.

"China will continue to contribute to the accessibility and affordability of vaccines in developing countries within its capacity," stressed Wang, calling on all countries that are able to do so to "act as soon as possible, honor their commitments, and make their due contributions to promoting equitable distribution and application of vaccines for better global anti-epidemic cooperation."