India, China lure neighbours with Covid vaccine

India and China are using their newly developed Covid-19 vaccines to cement friendships in Southeast Asia. India officially began its vaccine diplomacy on 20 January by supplying Made-in-India Covid-19 vaccines to its neighbouring countries. Bhutan and the Maldives were the first to get the vaccines, as Air India planes landed in Thimpu and Male with millions of doses of AstraZeneca vaccines, manufactured by Serum Institute of India.  These two countries will be followed by Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Seychelles. Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Mauritius will also get vaccine vials, once they give necessary regulatory approvals.

New Delhi got into the act after China has signed deals with 20 countries, many of which are in Southeast Asia, to offer its home-developed vaccines. With five vaccines being developed in China, Beijing is offering them both as donations and on a commercial basis. Beijing also launched a multilateral dialogue with South Asian countries, aimed at offering technical expertise and vaccines as well as co-ordinating their economic agendas, reflecting a new multilateral Chinese approach to the region that  included  every country in the region, barring India, Bhutan and  the Maldives.

This despite the fact that data from Brazil had raised questions on the efficacy of Sinovac’s vaccine, with a wide range of results reported from its trials in different countries. Its efficacy rate was found to be 50.4 per cent in all cases in the Brazil trial, including mild cases, rising to 78 per cent for ‘mild to severe’ cases. Turkey, however, put the figure at 91.25 per cent, while Indonesia said it was 65.3 per cent effective.

Brazil, in fact, was looking forward to SII’s Covishield vaccine. President Jair Bolsonaro had even written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating the urgency of his request. However, as India delayed its response, Bolsanaro clinched a deal with China. (India wanted to roll it out within India first and then have it exported to its neighbours for free, as a goodwill gesture, before sending shipments to Brazil and other countries under an export plan for commercial shipments). New Delhi stepped in with the supplies at this point, to allay Brazil’s apprehensions. Bolsonaro thanked India with an image of Hanuman with the Sanjivani (the mythical all-cure), flying from India to Brazil. 

New Delhi, on the other hand, wants to portray its push-back in the region as yet another testament to its Neighbourhood First policy — the government is going to brand it ‘Vaccine Maitri’ (vaccine friendship). “India is deeply honoured to be a long-trusted partner in meeting the healthcare needs of the global community,” Modi tweeted, while announcing the move. “Supplies of Covid-19 vaccines to several countries will commence tomorrow, and more will follow in the days ahead.” External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar added: “India fulfils commitment to give vaccines to humanity. Supplies to our neighbours will start on 20 January. The Pharmacy of the World will deliver to overcome the Covid-19 challenge.” According to MEA, the government has received several requests for the supply of Indian manufactured vaccines from neighbouring and key partner countries.

Among the countries that are ordering Chinese vaccines are Jordan, the UAE, Turkey, Algeria, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Pakistan, Brazil, Ukraine, and Serbia, according to reports in the Chinese State media. On 18 January, Pakistan became the first country in South Asia to approve a Chinese vaccine, giving the green light for emergency use for Sinopharm’s vaccine. Pakistani officials are also in talks with another Chinese company, Cansino Biologics, for orders.

China had earlier this month also offered its vaccines to Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, as it held a multilateral dialogue with the four countries and Pakistan on anti-epidemic prevention, but so far it hasn’t managed to clinch agreed orders.

A third Chinese vaccine CoronoVac, by the firm Sinovac, which is already being used fairly widely in China, has so far had the biggest takers overseas among the five Chinese vaccines, including 125.5 million orders from Indonesia, whose President Joko Widodo received a shot of CoronoVac live on television, and 14 million from Malaysia. Foreign Minister Wang Yi offered the vaccine during a recent tour of Southeast Asia, with the Philippines, Thailand and Myanmar also expected to announce orders in addition to some vaccines donated China. China has offered 300,000 to Myanmar.