Serbia’s vaccine diplomacy in China’s shadow

A large shipment of a Chinese vaccine has helped Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić improve his political fortunes.

Over the past year, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has often showed up at Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla Airport to welcome shipments of masks, medical equipment, and vaccines from China. So far, Serbia has received millions of euros worth of medical supplies and two million doses of the Sinopharm jab. This has enabled the country to push forward with its vaccination drive and placed it among the top immunisation champions, along with Israel, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. It has also allowed the Serbian government to send out vaccines to other countries in the Western Balkans, as the region has struggled to ensure a supply amid the global vaccine scramble. On March 2, it was Vučić – along with 5,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine – who leaders in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo welcomed at the airport. Thousands of vials have also been sent to North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serb-majority parts of Kosovo.