China calls on developed countries to honor pledge to share vaccines
Dai: Cooperation between China and The Bahamas should be approached with “sense of urgency”
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Chinese Ambassador to The Bahamas Dai Qingli said it is time for globally coordinated action as she called on developed countries to honor their pledge to share vaccine doses with other countries.
Dai, who appeared as a guest on ILTV’s “Beyond The Headlines” with host Clint Watson on Tuesday, said: “What we are also doing now is to call on developed countries to honor their pledge of sharing vaccines as soon as possible because one more day of delay means more people are put at risk of infection, hospitalization and even death.
“I think it is time for coordinated global action.”
The United States is expected to donate 75 percent of its surplus doses — around 80 million doses — to countries in need, starting with an initial tranche of 25 million doses.
Of those, around 19 million are expected to go to the World Health Organization’s COVAX Facility — the international mechanism by which The Bahamas has received its vaccine doses, with the exception of a donation of 20,000 doses of AstraZeneca from India.
To date, China has provided over 350 million vaccine doses to more than 100 countries and international organizations across the globe, according to Dai.
She said there are plans to do more.
She advised there is “ongoing contact” about China assisting The Bahamas with vaccines, but “I think we will see what will happen”.
China has provided several batches of medical supplies to The Bahamas during the pandemic, along with technical support, and a new shipment is expected to be sent to The Bahamas in the near future, the ambassador said.
The United States, Israel and the State of Qatar are also among the countries that have donated supplies to The Bahamas during the pandemic.
China-Bahamas cooperation
Dai said relations between The Bahamas and China remain “strong and productive” and the future is promising for both countries with continued trade and people-to-people programs, among many other mutually beneficial projects.
“China’s interest is to work with The Bahamas government and people to increase the economic well-being of The Bahamas and also work for the mutual benefit of our two countries,” said Dai.
“China is interested in many possible areas of cooperation.
“There are many promising areas. Take, for example, tourism, which is the pillar industry in your country. Every year in China, people make 145 million overseas visits. Even if a fraction of those visits come this way, then that would be great for our two countries.
“Furthermore, we have 3,000,000 Chinese students in the US, so that potentially can be a good market for Bahamian tourism too.
“And take agriculture. I know how hard The Bahamas tries to raise its self-sufficiency in food supply to lower the cost of living for the average Bahamian. We can certainly support you on that and we are doing similar things with other Caribbean countries.”
Dai noted China is on hand to help The Bahamas in its effort to achieve more renewable energy production.
She said on the trade side there is a “promising picture”, but said direct trade — goods coming directly from China — must be increased.
Asked whether she felt The Bahamas has taken full advantage of China’s assistance, Dai said both governments have been working very hard to make things happen but the interactions of both countries have been disrupted, particularly by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
She said more time is needed, but both countries should approach the partnership with “a bit of urgency” to use the various financial resources available.
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