EU offers China free vaccines as Covid-19 infections surge

The European Union has offered free Covid-19 vaccines to China, the EU executive said on Tuesday, as infections there surged following Beijing's relaxation of its "zero-Covid" policies.

China has not responded to the offer yet, a spokesperson for the European Commission told journalists at a regular briefing. He did not specify the amount of vaccines the EU was offering or their manufacturers.

"In view of the Covid situation in China, [Health] Commissioner Stella Kyriakides has reached out to her Chinese counterparts to offer EU solidarity and support," he said.

"This includes public health expertise as well as variant-adapted EU vaccine donations."

Asked whether Beijing would accept the EU offer, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning sidestepped a direct reply, telling Reuters that China's vaccination rate and treatment capacity continued to rise...