COVID-19 vaccine: China will prioritise fulfilment of Pakistan’s needs, says Wang Yi

• China assures Pakistan of provision of more vaccine doses by March end.
• Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi says Chinese assistance to the world, particularly Pakistan, during the challenging situation of the pandemic is exemplary.
• Wangi Yi says over a hundred countries had approached China to get the vaccine.

ISLAMABAD: China will prioritise the fulfilment of Pakistan’s COVID-19 needs, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday.

The Chinese foreign minister, in a telephonic conversation with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi, said that China will donate more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to Pakistan by March 31 to help the country fight coronavirus.

Wang Yi said that over a 100 countries had approached China to get the vaccine but they would prioritise the fulfilment of Pakistan’s COVID-19 needs.

Read more: Pakistan to start import of CanSino vaccine for commercial use this week

The telephonic conversation encompassed the pandemic situation as well as the bilateral and other matters of mutual interests, a foreign ministry press release said.

Qureshi told Wang Yi that the government had formulated a comprehensive strategy to vaccinate the citizens against COVID-19 for which the country would require further doses of the vaccine.

In response, the Chinese FM assured to provide more vaccine doses by end of the current month.

Qureshi thanked the Chinese counterpart for the goodwill gesture. He said the Chinese assistance to the world particularly Pakistan during the challenging situation the pandemic was exemplary.

Read more: DRAP satisfied with Sputnik V retail price, says Asad Umar

The foreign minister told his Chinese counterpart that Pakistan’s government was taking all precautionary measures, including the smart lockdown as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

He also thanked the Chinese leadership for expressing good wishes, through a letter, for Prime Minister Imran Khan who had tested positive on Saturday.

Both the leaders had a detailed discussion on bilateral ties and multiple cooperation besides agreeing to keeping up the high-level contacts between the two countries.