China on proposed waiver of property rights for vaccines

China expects an "effective and balanced" result from discussions over the proposed waiver of intellectual property protections for the COVID-19 vaccines.

Wang Wenbin, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, told a daily briefing on Thursday that China looks forward to a "constructive discussion under the framework of WTO" over the matter, without clarifying whether Beijing approves of this proposal.

It came hours after US Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced the US government's support to waive intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines, in an effort to speed the end of the pandemic.

"China will continue to firmly uphold the first attribute of vaccines as a global public good and contribute to the promotion of vaccine accessibility and affordability in developing countries," said Wang.