China, Egypt mark joint production of 1 mln COVID-19 vaccine doses in Egypt

Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (1st L, Front) and his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry (2nd L, Front) attend a ceremony marking the joint production of 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine in Egypt, in Alamein, Egypt, on July 18, 2021. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

ALAMEIN, Egypt, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry on Sunday attended a ceremony marking the joint production of 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine in Egypt.

The ceremony was held during Wang's official visit to Alamein, a coastal city in northern Egypt.

After China and Egypt inked a letter of intent for cooperation on COVID-19 vaccine production in December 2020, a Chinese company signed an agreement with an Egyptian firm and sent technical teams to Egypt to facilitate the local production of the vaccine.

Only half a year after the signing of the agreement, the Chinese vaccine was officially put into production in Egypt and reached the output of 1 million doses in a short time.

As the first batch of vaccines rolled off the production line, Egypt became the first country on the African continent to cooperate with China in the COVID-19 vaccine production.

The local production of the Chinese vaccine in Egypt, which demonstrates China's determination and sincerity in promoting international anti-pandemic cooperation, marks a concrete move to actively implement Chinese President Xi Jinping's pledge to make the vaccine a global public good. It is also an important step taken by China to promote equal distribution of the vaccines and bridge the immunity gap.

This project is not only of great significance to Egypt's fight against COVID-19 pandemic, but also will greatly help Africa and the Arab region prevail over the pandemic at an early date.