Xi Jinping calls to fight attempts to politicize subject of vaccines, coronavirus

VLADIVOSTOK, September 3. /TASS/. China is urging the world to fight attempts to politicize the subject of vaccines and of the origin of coronavirus, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said in a video address to the participants of Friday’s plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF). "We must support each other’s efforts in fighting the pandemic, boost cooperation in the development and production of vaccines as a global public good, resolutely fight any attempts to politicize the subject of vaccines and the issue of the coronavirus’ origin and work together to try to create a civilization of public health for all of mankind," he said. During the pandemic, American authorities repeatedly put forward suggestions that a leak from a lab in Wuhan, China may have caused the spread of the coronavirus infection. Beijing protested these assertions. The Chinese authorities pointed out that the issue of the virus’ origins is in the purview of scientists, and not politicians. On August 27, the official website of the US Director of National Intelligence published an intelligence report summarizing the conclusions on COVID-19 origins. The document, among other things, noted that the coronavirus was not developed as a biological weapon. At the same time, the US intelligence community did not come to a single conclusion with regards to the origins of the virus, and their opinions still differ. They admitted that, most likely, they won’t be able to provide a final evaluation of the origins of the coronavirus without China’s input. The sixth Eastern Economic Forum is being held in Vladivostok on September 2-4 in a hybrid (combined online and in-person) format, the main topic of the business program is "New Opportunities for the Far East in a Changing World.". Read more