China offers vaccines to South Asia, says ‘ready to support’ India

China’s foreign minister was speaking at the fourth multilateral dialogue involving countries in South Asia on coordinating their COVID-19 responses and economic recoveries

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday offered Chinese vaccines to countries in South Asia to ensure “a more diversified and stable” regional supply, and said Beijing was also “ready to provide support and assistance” to India. Mr. Wang was speaking at the fourth multilateral dialogue involving countries in South Asia on coordinating their COVID-19 responses and economic recoveries. The virtual dialogue involving the Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka marked China’s stepped up engagement in the region following the pandemic, and was the latest in a series of meetings involving all countries in South Asia barring India, Bhutan and the Maldives. China previously held a meeting of Foreign Ministers with Afghanistan, Nepal, and Pakistan, a dialogue with Vice Foreign Ministers involving Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, as well as a meeting at the Director General level of the six countries that again met on Tuesday.