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China has implemented several measures to keep the coronavirus outside its borders and protect its population. These measures have included tracking and tracing every case, closing its borders, and implementing lockdowns in cities with millions of people. The country has also developed domestic vaccines that have allowed for a widespread vaccination effort. Despite these efforts, two years into the pandemic, China’s 1.4 billion people still do not have access to the mRNA vaccines developed and approved in the West and used by numerous other countries.
There have been doubts about the effectiveness of the Chinese vaccines, which use a century-old method for vaccination. In the spring of 2020, China announced it would approve the BioNTech mRNA vaccine developed in partnership with Pfizer. The country also stated that it was close to producing its mRNA vaccine. However, none of these options seem to provide the mRNA vaccines that China demands.
The lack of an mRNA vaccine and the delay in approving a foreign option has led to questions about the validity of China’s triumphant narrative regarding its handling of the pandemic. There are also concerns about whether the country’s “go-it-alone” approach has been as successful as officials have claimed. This lack of progress on mRNA vaccines may be related to China’s recent inward turn and focus on self-reliance under the leadership of Xi Jinping. The country has placed a strong emphasis on competing with the United States and the West in science and technology, which has led some to question why China has not made more of an effort to develop its own mRNA vaccine. The lack of progress on this front and the failure to approve a readily available foreign option has puzzled many experts.
Jin Dongyan, a virologist at the University of Hong Kong, has urged his colleagues in mainland China to approve the BioNTech vaccine. He stated, “We don’t know how decisions are made nowadays in China, but a better vaccine would help maintain a zero-Covid policy.” He added that officials in Beijing are presenting the image that they are doing well in vaccine development and that it would be embarrassing for them to show the opposite to the Chinese people.
In addition to the issue of vaccine availability, there are other challenges facing China in its efforts to control the pandemic. The Communist Party has abandoned its restrictive “zero Covid” policy, which led to mass protests and posed a rare challenge to the Communist leadership. There are also shortages of medicine, with millions struggling to find treatment for Covid-19, from essential cold remedies to more powerful antivirals for hospital patients. Many in China are grieving and anxious about the hard-line Covid policy and want a national reckoning, although holding the government accountable may be difficult.
Data on infections have become less transparent as pandemic restrictions have been loosened, creating an unclear picture of the situation in China. Covid-19 is spreading in the capital city of Beijing, which appears to be amid a self-imposed lockdown. Despite assurances from the government that the situation is under control, scientists have stated that the population has not built enough natural immunity to fight severe outbreaks effectively.
China has faced significant challenges in controlling the pandemic and protecting its people, even if the government is keen to do so. While the country has implemented several measures and developed domestic vaccines, the lack of access to mRNA vaccines and the various other issues discussed above have created difficulties in the fight against Covid-19. It remains to be seen how China will address these challenges moving forward.
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