China vaccine diplomacy

Beijing had the edge in the early stages of the pandemic, but the preference for mRNA vaccines amid the Omicron variant has helped boost U.S. vaccine diplomacy.

The United States failed to match Beijing’s intense, coordinated diplomacy across Southeast Asia during the COVID-19 crisis.

Over one year after it was announced, the Quad Vaccine Partnership has underperformed expectations.

China’s presence in the region is on another level from India’s, yet New Delhi remains an important partner for Latin America.

If vaccine diplomacy is the new great game, it is being played wrong by all sides, with the risk that no one will be left a winner.

If vaccine diplomacy is to pay off, it needs to be based on firm bilateral foundations.

Despite vaccine hesitancy and a shortage of doses, South Asian countries have fared fairly well in vaccinating their populations.

During its recent COVID-19 outbreaks, the Vietnamese government has found itself trapped between the virus and a Sinophobic public.

Several countries that received Chinese vaccines are questioning its efficacy and pricing.

China’s actual donation of COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam has already been outmatched by the United States.

Beijing has long maintained close relations to the ethnic armed groups lying along its borders with Myanmar.