South Asia Turns to China for Covid Vaccines after India Halts Exports

NEW DELHI - South Asian countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are turning to China for vaccines for Covid 19 after India suspended vaccine exports due to critical shortages at home. Analysts say this will help Beijing increase its clout in the strategic Indian Ocean region where it has been building influence.  

China has given 1.1 million doses of vaccines made by its Sinopharm Group company to Sri Lanka. Bangladesh received its first donation of half a million vaccines from China this month while Nepal has been promised an additional one million shots.     The shots from China are helping these countries restart inoculation drives that had stalled as supplies from India dried up. They come at a critical time -- surging infections are raising fears that the torrid second wave which India is battling could impact neighboring countries.   “Make no mistake, India's suspension of vaccine exports is a strategic opportunity for Beijing,” according to Michael Kugelman, the Deputy Director of the Asia Program and Senior Associate for South Asia at the Wilson Center. “China certainly sees its vaccine diplomacy as an image-building tactic at a time when Beijing has had a tough time with image management.”