The United Arab Emirates and China Collaboration: Sinopharm Vaccine’s Release and Collaborative Ties ahead!

As part of a series of collaborative steps to strengthen bilateral relations, the UAE and China agreed to jointly recognize health codes monitoring residents’ exposure to the coronavirus. During a two-day visit to the Middle East by Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the two nations entered into an agreement in principle on bilateral agreements of health codes, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. As part of an attempts to restore cross-border travel amid the pandemic, the countries will also collaborate to encourage international awareness of health QR codes, according to Xinhua.

Under a strategic alliance between Sinopharm and Abu Dhabi-based technology company Group 42, a new factory in Abu Dhabi will begin manufacturing a COVID-19 vaccine from Chinese pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm later this year. The project is a step forward for Chinese diplomacy in the Gulf, and it aids the UAE’s efforts to diversify its economy away from oil production. According to a joint venture announcement, the facility, which is being constructed in Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa Industrial Zone, will have a production capacity of 200 million doses per year and will include three filling lines and five advanced packaging lines.