For decades, Russia and China have been daring to challenge the West.
Their military build up, infrastructure projects and targeted economic support all intended to assert their geopolitical influence.
So, as the world reels from the Covid-19 pandemic, the two powers are casting themselves as the saviours of the world. They are offering what everyone desperately needs — The covid-19 vaccine in the little glass vials.
China and Russia are already looking into helping the vulnerable beyond their borders, whereas the US and the EU and looking into saving their own population first.
On January 21, Europe promised to share its vaccine with the world, particularly the poor countries. You must all be aware of what has become of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Hopefully, those under 30 years who got the jab will not suffer anything be it even a blood clot.
So we pray. So, will developing countries sit back and wait for the EU to complete inoculating its people before they get the jab?
Nobody should stop you from getting the jab regardless of where it is from. All the world needs today is the jab. "Should China and Russia offer it so be it," said a former Rwanda Health minister.
Amidst the claims of being brutal and dictatorial, Kremlin saw a rare opportunity to salvage her image with a social conscious.
You may never be wrong to say that China and Russia only saw a money minting opportunity as there isn't and there shall be no ceiling to how much a country can spend on the vaccine as a population of a country is under threat of this virus.
But as for China, it is not about money going by the standards already set in terms of donation. It is all about vaccine diplomacy coup.
Sooner than later, you will be made to forget the little transparency displayed by China at the onset of the pandemic only allowing experts to go into Wuhan a year later after the pandemic outbreak to investigate what might have happened.
They say the good is the only solvent of evil.
China began with ventilators and masks when they were the only guard everyone needed at the time.
Globally, these goodies were received by either heads of states and governments or high-ranking government officials in the glare of media cameras and some on live televisions both local and international.
To date, over 100 countries have received the Chinese vaccine let alone ventilators and masks.
In South America alone, 10 out of twelve countries have inoculated a portion of their people with either purchased or donated China vaccine.
China intends to inoculate more than half of the world with her vaccine by 2023 so is Russia, with a target of half the world at the same time. Isn't this a vaccine diplomatic coup?
