The U.S. and China Trade Barbs Over Who’s More Righteous in Distributing COVID-19 Vaccines to Poor Countries in the Global South

Nicholas Kamm / AFP

United States President Joe Biden took aim at China on Tuesday in remarks about Washington’s plan to begin sending tens of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses to developing countries. The President implied that China’s vaccine distribution to low-income countries is politically motivated and said that the U.S. approach would, in contrast, “showcase the decency of the American people.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian was asked about the president’s comments at the regular foreign ministry press briefing in Beijing later on Tuesday and called the President’s assertion “despicable.”

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