Published 19:00 IST, June 8th 2020
China blasts US Senator Rick Scott over COVID-19 vaccine 'sabotage' claims
China lashed out at US Senator Rick Scott who has claimed that Beijing is trying to sabotage or slowdown COVID-19 vaccine development by Western countries.
China lashed out at US Senator Rick Scott who has claimed that Beijing is trying to sabotage or slowdown COVID-19 vaccine development by Western countries. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said during a press conference that the Republican Senator should provide the evidence for his unfounded claims.
Scott told BBC that the United States has evidence related to China’s alleged attempt to sabotage vaccine development by Western nations but didn’t give any details. The Republican Senator had said that China does not want the US to develop the vaccine and has decided to be an adversary to Americans and democracies around the world.
The 67-year-old Senator from Florida said that vaccine is important for getting the economy back on track and it doesn’t matter which country develops it first. He claimed that while the Western countries are going to share the vaccine with the world, China is not going to share it and that’s why trying to sabotage the development.
'Hope US to pledge'
Responding to Scott’s accusations, Hua said that China has already pledged at the 73rd session of the World Health Assembly that it will make its coronavirus vaccine a global public good once available. She added that China hopes the US will also pledge the same and share its vaccine with the world if it develops one first.
Chinese President Xi Jinping had said that any COVID-19 vaccine developed in the country will be made “global public good” as Beijing’s contribution to the pandemic response. Addressing the opening ceremony of the 73rd session of the WHA, Xi had said that Beijing will work with the United Nations to set up a global humanitarian response depot and hub in China.
Updated 19:00 IST, June 8th 2020