In his video message, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that "COVID-19 challenges us all, the virus knows no borders, it is indifferent to the nationality of its victims."
"We must overcome the pandemic with a spirit of cooperation, not of 'vaccine nationalism,'" he said.
"While we are doing everything we can to ensure the British people to get access to a successful vaccine as soon as possible, nobody is safe until we are all safe so global cooperation is absolutely critical if we are to defeat this virus once and for all," British Secretary for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Alok Sharma said in a statement in August.
China has announced that its COVID-19 vaccine, once developed and put into use, will be a global public good, and it will also promote the accessibility and affordability of vaccines in developing countries.
When China made the announcement, French daily Les Echos said that "China, which has succeeded in virtually eradicating the virus, very early on injected billions of yuan into the search for a vaccine. China's participation is a big win for COVAX Facility," an international initiative co-led by the WHO and partners to ensure equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines.
"China has also made a significant effort to assist European countries in procuring the materials needed to fight COVID-19. We hope that this will also be the case when the vaccine goes into use," said Maja Muskic, professor at Ivan Goran Kovacic School in Vinkovci, Croatia.
