Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday stressed coordinated efforts to boost global economic recovery and proposed a six-point Global Vaccine Cooperation Action Initiative while addressing the 16th Group of 20 (G20) Leaders’ Summit via video link on Saturday.
Solidarity and cooperation are the most powerful weapons to fight the pandemic. Stigmatization of the COVID-19 virus and politicization of tracing its origins run counter to the spirit of solidarity against the pandemic, Xi said, calling on the international community to work in concert to confront and defeat the pandemic by taking a science-based approach.
“We need to step up cooperation on prevention, control, diagnosis and treatment, and enhance preparedness for major public health emergencies,” he said.
Addressing the G20 Leaders’ Summit, Xi proposed a six-point Global Vaccine Cooperation Action Initiative.
As part of the Initiative, Xi proposed to strengthen vaccine R&D cooperation and support vaccine companies in conducting joint R&D and production with developing countries.
He called the G20 leaders to uphold equality and justice and provide more vaccines to developing countries to meet the global vaccination target for 2022 set by the WHO, support the World Trade Organization (WTO) in making an early decision on waiving intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines, and encourage vaccine companies to transfer technology to developing countries.
Xi also said cross-border trade cooperation to ensure smooth trade in vaccines and related raw and auxiliary materials should be scaled up and that countries must treat different vaccines equally and advance mutual recognition of vaccines in accordance with the WHO’s Emergency Use Listing.
At the early stage of the pandemic, Xi called for COVID-19 vaccines to be made a global public good.
At Saturday’s meeting, Xi noted that China has provided over 1.6 billion doses of vaccines to more than 100 countries and international organizations, and will provide over 2 billion doses to the world in the course of this year. China is conducting joint vaccine production with 16 countries, with an initial capacity of 700 million doses per year.
To address the complex and far-reaching impact of COVID-19 unleashed on the world economy, Xi said major economies should adopt responsible macroeconomic policies, prevent measures taken for themselves from entailing rising inflation, exchange rate fluctuations or mounting debts, avoid negative spillover on developing countries, and ensure the sound operation of the international economic and financial system.
Xi said that forming exclusive blocs or even drawing ideological lines will only cause division and create more obstacles, and do harm to scientific and technological innovation.
In his speech to G20 leaders, Xi announced China’s decision to apply to join the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement. China attaches great importance to international cooperation on digital economy and stands ready to work with all parties for the healthy and orderly development of digital economy, Xi noted.
China proposes holding an international forum on resilient and stable industrial and supply chains, and welcomes the active participation of G20 members and relevant international organizations, Xi said.
Xi called on G20 members to safeguard the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core and build an open world economy. At the same time, Xi said G20 members should take a long-term perspective, improve the global economic governance system and rules, and make up for the relevant governance deficit.
On climate change, Xi said in his video speech that developed countries need to lead by example on emissions reduction, deliver on their commitments on climate financing, and provide technology, capacity-building and other support for developing countries, which is critically important for the success of the upcoming COP26.
Global Times
