In a move to accelerate the vaccine distribution process, China and the United Arab Emirates have decided to come together in the coming days to make the vaccines available for everyone and also making it more affordable, stresses the top Chinese diplomat on Saturday.

He said that China wants to collaborate with the UAE to ensure rapid vaccine production so that not only is it available for most of the people but also is affordable enough for them to get administered by it. Beijing’s top diplomat also added that with the collaboration, many unexplored opportunities to fight the pandemic can also come into view.

Together, the two countries can come up with a mechanism to tackle issues of irregular distribution in the Middle Eastern and African region, and in doing so, they might also deal with travel issues. In an exclusive interview, the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that with the joint efforts of the two countries, travel also may become easier.

Wang Yi is visiting different countries at the moment as a part of the country's regional tour and he landed in Abu Dhabi yesterday after completing a visit to Iran. During the course of two days, the top Chinese diplomat will have top-level meetings with the Emirati officials about the process of production and distribution of vaccines.

He emphasized during the interview that China is continuing to work with the UAE so that the two nations can come on the same page as far as vaccine distribution is concerned. He also added, “First, we will work to expedite the bilateral production of the vaccines in a way that would contribute greatly to making sure the vaccines are available and affordable.”

He noted that both the countries are working in a similar direction as they have already succeeded in conducting phase III trials of the first inactivated Covid-19 vaccines in the world. These efforts did not only benefit the Chinese and UAE people but the entire world in its fight against the pandemic," he said

Another aspect that the top diplomat talked about was a joint effort by both the nations to ease the travel mechanism. While discussing the different kinds of possibilities to fight the pandemic, the top officials may come together to come up with an international mechanism to ease the travel. For example exchange vaccination certificates to ensure safer travel.

The Chinese official also praised the giving nature of the UAE. We are confident that because of the bilateral efforts between China and the UAE, there would be more and better results in fighting the pandemic that would also result in a stronger international rhythm," the minister stressed.

Yi also added that they appreciate how the UAE stood by China when the pandemic hit the country. One such example quoted by Yi was of Burj Khalifa when the humongous tower was lit up with encouraging phrases like ‘Stay strong, Wuhan’.

He elaborated about the two-day visit saying that he has plans to meet Emirati officials to discuss the harmony between the two countries. He talked about the UAE’s next 50 years strategy saying that China will try to balance the endeavors of the Chinese development equation along with UAE’s previously in place schemes.

We will also deepen the communication and cooperation with the UAE to preserve peace and stability in the Middle East and the Gulf. We welcome the UAE’s effective and constructive role in the regional affairs."

He explained that UAE and China’s friendship goes way back. More than 220,000 Chinese nationals live in the UAE and before Coroanviurs hit, nearly two million Chinese tourists visited the UAE. He added that UAE will continue to be an important destination for the Chinese population especially with the Dubai Expo approaching and the pandemic containment progressing. 

WAM