More China-aided COVID-19 vaccines for Belarus handed over in Beijing

The handover ceremony of a new shipment of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China to Belarus was held via video link on Nov 14, 2022. Deng Boqing, vice-chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), Dmitry Pinevich, minister of health of Belarus, Yuri Senko, Belarusian ambassador to China, and Xie Xiaoyong, Chinese ambassador to Belarus, attended and addressed the ceremony.

Deng said that China and Belarus enjoy traditional friendly relations. During the Samarkand Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held in this September, the two heads of state announced upgrading of the bilateral relationship into an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership, which pointed out the development direction of the two countries and injected new impetus into their comprehensive pragmatic cooperation. 

Deng noted that since the outbreak of COVID-19, the two countries have looked out for each other and joined hands in the fight against the virus, which reflected the brotherhood of going through thick and thin. Belarus was one of the earliest countries to provide support to China’s fight against the virus. China has provided a large amount of anti-pandemic supplies such as testing reagents, medical masks and protective suits, as well as vaccines to Belarus.

The latest shipment of two million doses of COVID-19 vaccines provided by China to Belarus is a concrete action to implement the consensus reached by two heads of state, and demonstrates the great importance China attaches to the bilateral relations and the steadfast support the Chinese people render to the Belarusian people, Deng said. 

Deng reiterated that since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, China has provided large amounts of anti-pandemic supplies to 153 countries and 15 international organizations, dispatched medical expert teams to 34 countries, shared with over 180 countries and international organizations COVID-19 prevention and control as well as treatment protocols, and provided over 2.2 billion doses of vaccines to over 120 countries and international organizations.

The assistance demonstrated China's responsibility as the world's largest developing country and has been widely praised by the international community. Deng said that China is prepared to work with all countries including Belarus to jointly respond to global challenges and promote progress on the implementation of the Global Development Initiative (GDI).

Pinevich noted that China is Belarus' key partner and iron-clad brother, and extended appreciation for China's provision of large amounts of anti-pandemic supplies and vaccines, as well as its sharing of virus prevention, control and treatment protocols, which played a positive role in Belarus' control of the pandemic and restoration of its economy. He acknowledged progress in bilateral cooperation in areas such as pharmaceutical and biological sciences, and said Belarus is ready to learn more from China, deepen cooperation in medical and healthcare fields, and sail the ship of China-Belarus friendship to a new horizon.