Vaccine Diplomacy

For John, BLUF:  Once upon a time, and for Centuries, China was the most powerful nation on the planet.  Then they pulled into themselves and fell behind.  Now they are pushing back out, to regain what they see as their rightful place.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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China Declares a Vaccine War on the World

From PJ Media, by Writer Rick Moran, 20 March 2021, 1:58 PM ET.

Here is the lede plus four:

China will allow foreigners to enter the country, but it has directed embassies around the world to only issue a visa if the traveler has gotten a COVID-19 vaccine that was made in China.

“It’s very much at the sharp end of vaccine diplomacy,” Nicholas Thomas, an associate professor in health security at the City University of Hong Kong, told CNN.  “(It’s) essentially saying if you want to visit us, you need to take our vaccine.”

There has been no Chinese-made vaccine approved for human use in America, nor is there likely to be one anytime soon.  China has created 5 different vaccines but none have been approved by the WHO.  This is probably due to the fact that the Chinese government refuses to release the results of Stage 3 trials — a crucial requirement for vaccine approval in the U.S. and other western countries.

China’s main entry in the vaccine race — Sinovac — has an announced effectiveness of 78 percent against COVID.  But Brazil actually conducted a Stage 3 trial and found it only 50.38 percent effective — far less effective than any other vaccine on the market.

Where does that leave the U.S., the UK, and other nations that have not approved a Chinese vaccine for use?

This seems rather cheeky on the part of China.  Not withstanding the Woke scolds in our midst, China, and in particular, Wuhan, does seem to be the source of this pandemic  Now they are playing the offended party, asking the rest of us to dance to their tune.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff