INDIA SEEKS QUAD SUPPORT TO COUNTER CHINA’S COVID DIPLOMACY

In a response to China’s growing and assertive vaccine diplomacy amid the Covid-19 pandemic, India has urged the Quad members—the United States, Japan and Australia—to invest in its vaccine production capacity, a source from the Indian government told Reuters.

Beijing has committed to provide at least 463 million doses of its home-made Covid-19 vaccines through exports and donations across the world, spanning the regions of Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America, according to the news agency.

The Quad alliance is stepping up efforts to expand global vaccination to counter China’s increasing soft power, and India, the world’s biggest vaccine maker, believes that it is the best-placed to steer the effort, Reuters was told by two senior Indian officials.

However, a spokesman from the Indian foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comments on the matter.

While a U.S. State Department spokesperson agreed to Washington focusing deeply on expanding global vaccination, manufacturing and delivery, he did not comment on China or India’s request for funds. “Secretary (Antony) Blinken spoke with his Quad counterparts on February 18 to discuss cooperation on Covid-19 response and recovery and climate change, among other issues,” the official told Reuters.

The Australian government also offered no comment but a government source stated that a global recovery from the pandemic was a policy priority for the country and its Quad partners. The source also said that Australia is exploring a number of options to work with partners to enhance stability and prosperity in the region.

Meanwhile, at a news conference on Friday, Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said that the four countries discussed the “necessity and importance of international cooperation to ensure equal access to vaccines for developing countries,” at the February meeting, but nothing was decided.

However, a source from India informed Reuters that the Quad countries discussed ways to “encourage alternative medical supply chains, thereby implying less dependency on China”, at the virtual meeting in February.

The Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, a major political advisory body in Beijing, called such concerns about China using vaccines to influence other countries as “extremely narrow-minded.”

The foreign ministry also stated that China’s purpose is to make vaccines available globally,

One of the two senior officials who spoke to Reuters also shared that the group has had several meetings about global vaccination. Wishing to remain anonymous, the source said, “India has more vaccine options than any other Asian country at this point of time. India expects members of the Quad alliance to pay to ramp up production.”

Bharat Biotech, Serum Institute of India (SII), Biological E and Cadila Healthcare together can produce billions of doses of their vaccines or manufacture for others on contract.

SII, which is the single biggest manufacturer in the world and is currently the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, will begin bulk production of the Novavax shots soon too. SII’s Novavax partnership holds “the key to the Quad’s diplomatic alliance in vaccines and push China out of regional vaccine sales”, said one of the Indian sources, adding, “The focus is also on making sure the Quad alliance secures all the key markets for vaccines.”

The Bharat Biotech-ICMR vaccine is also expected to reach 40 countries including Brazil, Zimbabwe and the Philippines. Bharat Biotech has said that it has the capacity to produce about 700 million doses a year.

Plans are also being made to produce more vaccines like the single-dose shot by Johnson & Johnson and Sputnik V, although a source shared that the US is not keen on India helping Moscow expand its clout.

An Indian vaccine official also told Reuters that the government had discussed with U.S. pharma companies Pfizer and Moderna the matter of manufacturing their shots in India.