Coronavirus vaccine: Beijing responds to claims Japanese were given unapproved Sinopharm jabs
- Government ‘attaches great importance to the safety of vaccine production and distribution’, embassy in Tokyo says
- Statement comes after Japanese newspaper says 18 Japanese received an unapproved vaccine that had been smuggled into the country by a Chinese citizen
“The Chinese government attaches great importance to the safety of vaccine production and distribution … [and] strictly implements the management of the entire vaccine process,” it said in a statement.
“[China] is willing to work with other countries to combat illegal and criminal activities such as vaccine production and sales, illegal outflows, and effectively guarantee the safety of vaccine research and development, production, circulation and use,” it said.
The embassy expressed its “strong dissatisfaction” at the “unverified” claims made by Japanese news media, without naming a specific outlet.
“We hope that the relevant media will take the responsibility to ensure the truthfulness and objectiveness of China-related reports, and avoid misleading the Japanese people,” it said.
Beijing approved the use of Sinopharm’s vaccine on Wednesday, and at least 10 countries, including Pakistan, Hungary and Ukraine, have since placed orders for it.
Coronavirus: a flurry of international orders for Chinese vaccines
Tokyo has yet to approve a Covid-19 vaccine but has agreements with three vaccine makers from the United States and Europe that are undergoing the approval process. A decision is expected to be made in late February.
Japanese health officials reported 3,059 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, taking the total since the start of the health crisis to 242,768.
According to the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, city-level politicians in Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures have urged the national government to declare a state of emergency to slow the movement of people and halt the spread of the virus.
