The leaders of Australia, the United States, India and Japan agreed to pool financing, manufacturing and distribution capacity to send 1 billion coronavirus vaccines across Asia by the end of 2022.
The so-called “Quad” group of four nations want to expand global vaccinations and counter China’s growing vaccination diplomacy in Southeast Asia and around the world. India is the world’s biggest vaccine maker.
The collaboration was "most pressing and valuable", India’s foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla told a news conference in India’s capital New Delhi after the four-way virtual summit.
“The four countries have agreed to a plan to pool their financial resources, manufacturing capabilities and capacities, and logistical strengths so as to ramp up the manufacturing and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines in the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.
“We believe this will speed up the process of post-pandemic recovery and enable families and businesses to put the COVID-19 crisis behind them.”
India will use its manufacturing capacity to make US vaccines, with financing coming from the US International Development Finance Corporation and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.
The pledge comes after the first four-way summit of the so-called Quad alliance involving Australia, the United States, India and Japan. Source: AAP
Australia will contribute another A$99 million (US$77 million), in addition to an earlier commitment of A$524 million (US$407 million), to support the logistics of delivering and administering vaccines in the Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia and countries in the Indian Ocean.
Japan in turn will provide A$53 million (US$41 million) for the distribution of vaccines, which requires careful climate control.
A coalition of churches and Christian organisations in Australia, the End Covid for All campaign, welcomed the vaccine plan.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne participate in the inaugural Quad leaders meeting. Source: AAP
"Australia has a history of stepping up to help its mates in times of crisis. This continues that tradition," spokesman Reverend Tim Costello said.
"This is a profoundly important commitment that will make our region healthier, safer and more stable. The COVID outbreak that our friends in Papua New Guinea are dealing with right now is happening mere kilometres from Northern Australia."
The Australian government announced last October a to vaccinate the Pacific and parts of Asia.
Mr Costello said more work remains to be done.
"COVID is a constant reminder that we are all biologically connected and need to look after each other. This pandemic ends for no-one until it ends for everyone. The longer it lingers, the further it will spread and mutate."
The initiative, however, may be hampered by US export restrictions on critical raw materials for India’s vaccine supply chain.
Shringla said the issue is a bilateral one with the United States that has been raised by India’s ambassador in Washington.
“Consideration is being given to this very important point,” he said, without elaborating.
The tie-up will not impact the production of vaccines for India’s 1.4 billion people, Shringla added.
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