The UAE-based Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries (Julphar) will start commercial production of China’s Sinopharm vaccines in April, under a deal announced on Sunday.

 

Julphar, based in the emirate of Ras al-Khaimah, signed the deal with Abu Dhabi-based artificial intelligence and cloud computing company Group 42 (G42), which handled Phase III late-stage clinical trials of a Sinopharm vaccine in the UAE and the wider region, said a Reuters report.

 

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has just completed a two-day official visit to the UAE, saying Beijing wanted to work with the UAE on producing affordable Covid-19 vaccines.

 

The joint efforts can also explore developing multilateral cooperation to fight the pandemic, especially with Middle Eastern and African countries, and establish an international mechanism to ease people’s travel, added Wang Yi in an interview with Wam news agency.

 

"I would like to say that China is making sure to work with the UAE to continue the cooperation between the two countries. First, we will work to expedite the bilateral production of the vaccines in a way that would contribute greatly to making sure the vaccines are available and affordable," he said.

 

The foreign minister pointed out that the cooperation between China and the UAE has entered a new phase as both parties succeeded in conducting phase III clinical trials on the first inactivated Covid-19 vaccine in the world.

 

"These efforts did not only benefit the Chinese and UAE people, but the entire world in its fight against the pandemic," he said. "The cooperation between the UAE and China during the Covid-19 pandemic symbolises the deep trust between the two countries."