By R R M Llani
Freelance journalist and researcher based in Colombo (Writer can be reached on [email protected] )
China is being accused of meddling with the internal affairs of Sri Lanka and politically engaging itself using its latest ‘vaccine diplomacy’.
It was shocking to learn that the Health Ministry had sacked four members of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA), who rejected China’s Sinopharm vaccine.
The NMRA board rejected the vaccine on the ground that China did not produce the reliable data on Sinopharm. The Panel of Experts had pointed out that Sinopharm has not been given World Health Organisation (WHO) EUL, neither has it got EUL from a stringent regulatory. Even asking for it on several occasions by the NMRA, it was not submitted to them.
Senior medical practitioners both in the government and private sectors have expressed concerns over this. They said that the NMRA, which is the decision-making body for the importation of drugs into Sri Lanka has been politicized.
It is believed that the Chinese Embassy in Colombo pressurised the Government to register the vaccine and in the end NMRA Chairman (now sacked) was pressurised by the State Minister of Pharmaceutical Production, Supply and Regulation Prof. Channa Jayasumana, to resign.
Former chairman of MRA, a Senior Advisor to the Ministry of Health and the Asian representative of the WHO Dr. Palitha Abeykoon and Senior Consultant Pediatrician and founder clinical head of the Centre for Clinical Management of Dengue Dr. A. LakKumar Fernando were amongst those sacked from the NMRA.
VACCINEONLY FOR CHINESE
Due to the current situation and public outcry over the data-less Sinopharm, Sri Lankans have rejected the jab and it is only administered to the 4,000 odd Chinese workers, stationed in Sri Lanka, despite 300,000 Sinopharm doses is available.
In the meantime a Fundamental Rights (FR) petition has been filed before the Supreme Court against the use of Sinopharm vaccine until the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) approves its safety and efficacy.
The petition was filed by Attorney-at-Law Gauri Thawarasa on behalf of the President of the People’s Movement for the Rights of Patients Louis Benedict and Joint Secretary Christine Perera.
CHINA GIVES 500USD FOR NEW YEAR
In this backdrop, Beijing’s ‘vaccine diplomacy’ took to another level on the eve of Sinhala/Hindu New Year (April 12, 2021), where China offered USD 500mn financial assistance extended to Sri Lanka.
More funds from China
Beijing said that the Foreign Currency Term Financing Facility (FTFF) was signed in Beijing between the China Development Bank (CDB) and Sri Lankan Finance Ministry, which is the second tranche of the total RMB 2 billion-plus USD 1 billion FTFF supported by the Chinese side to Sri Lanka after the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier in March, the two Central Banks also entered into a bilateral currency swap agreement amounting to CNY 10bn (approximately US$ 1.5 billion) valid for three years, intending to promote bilateral trade and direct investment for eco-social development of the two countries.
The Chinese were surprise when Sri Lanka quickly grabbed India’s 500mn AstraZeneca as a donation over their vaccine. India being a giant in the medical field had received all approvals from the international bodies and the NMRA had approved it as well.
The NMRA rejected China’s Sinopharm due to a lack of data on safety and ethical practices that govern any drugs for that matter.
Although many countries including India and the US thought Sri Lanka would be bent on accepting the Chinese vaccine despite they showered Sri Lanka with PCR test machines and masks and other medical gears, the government of Sri Lanka prolonged Sinopharm as it was politically intertwined.
China says the Sinopharm has already passed the phase three trials in several countries with 79-86% effective at preventing COVID-19 infection, 99.52% neutralizing antibodies and 100% preventing severe and moderate disease and already UAE, Serbia, Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Pakistan have taken Sinopharm jab.
Sri Lanka has always been a friend of China, so there’s no room to guess that the government is working against China and there wasn’t anything political about rejecting the vaccine, noted the medical expert.
“The WHO which is also close to Beijing has not yet approved the Sinopharm so there was no reason why the NMRA team should be sacked in this matter.”
SINOPHARM IN OTHER COUNTRIES
Even scientists in Brazil have downgraded the efficacy of the Sinopharm vaccine. Officials at the Butantan Institute in São Paulo said that a trial conducted in Brazil showed that the CoronaVac vaccine, made by the Beijing-based company Sinovac, had an efficacy rate of just over 50 per cent. That rate, slightly above the benchmark that the WHo has said would make a vaccine effective for general use, was far below the 78 per cent level announced last week.
The implications could be significant for a vaccine that is crucial to China’s global health diplomacy. At least 10 countries have ordered more than 380 million doses of Sinovac, though regulatory agencies have yet to fully approve it.
China when handing over the 600,000 doses of vaccines to Sri Lanka said that the arrival of the vaccines once again demonstrated the deep brotherhood between our two countries and peoples, once again implemented the commitment of Chinese President Xi Jinping of making the Chinese COVID-19 vaccines a global public good.
The Biden administration has taken initial steps to assist the global COVID-19 vaccination effort, such as loaning doses to Canada and Mexico and coordinating with Australia, India, and Japan to supply vaccines in the Indo-Pacific and thriving to send to all the countries around the world.
This the only occasion where China has found itself in hot water having passed all ‘tests’ related to its projects in Sri Lanka so far.
There’s lot more to think, note and grasp about China’s entry to South Asia, Colombo precisely.