Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Cooperation in the development of vaccines is becoming one of the main tools for strengthening Chinese influence in the Persian Gulf countries in the "coronavirus" period. This is confirmed by the active interaction of influential Arab states in the region - Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain with Chinese developers in the third phase of vaccine trials.

It is noteworthy that on 10 December 2020, the UAE and Bahrain were among the first foreign countries to officially register the vaccine of the Chinese company Sinopharm, which showed an efficiency of 86%. The authorities of these countries have announced plans to use this vaccine as part of a mass vaccination program. Following this, the first batch of the drug entered Egypt. At the same time, the last stage of testing a vaccine from another Chinese company, CanSino, continues in Saudi Arabia.

Commenting on the Sino-Arab cooperation in the field of vaccination, experts explain the preference of interaction with Chinese developers by the following factors.

First, the Chinese vaccine has several benefits for the Gulf countries. Convenient storage and transportation conditions are considered the main one. Unlike Western counterparts (Pfizer and Moderna), which must be stored at low temperatures (-70 ° C and -20 ° C, respectively), Sinopharm can be transported at a temperature of 2-8 ° C.

Secondly, the successful containment of the pandemic within the country allowed the PRC to be the first of the world powers to build its own "vaccine strategy". As part of the launched program "Building a human health community", Beijing promised the countries of the world early access to its drugs.

Third, the PRC remains the largest trading partner of the Gulf states. In these circumstances, the Arab monarchies hope that the use of Chinese vaccines can give a new impetus to cooperation and strengthen mutual trust between countries.

Overall, Arab-Chinese cooperation in vaccine development is mutually beneficial. The countries of the Persian Gulf need to end the epidemiological crisis as soon as possible, and China is interested in increasing its prestige and reducing the dominant role of the United States in a region that is important from a geopolitical and energy point of view.