?

BUENOS AIRES - Argentine academic Patricio Giusto spoke highly of China's decision to provide 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to the world this year and offer $100 million to COVAX, the global COVID-19 vaccine equity scheme.

"China's position and announcement are consistent and valuable," considering that COVID-19 vaccines "are global public goods and that the solution to the pandemic must be provided by the world as a whole, through cooperation and multilateralism," Giusto, director of the Sino-Argentine Observatory, told Xinhua after the first meeting of the International Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine Cooperation, which was jointly held on Thursday by 23 countries via video links.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday that the $100 million to COVAX will mainly be used to fund the distribution of vaccines to developing countries, adding that China would do its best to help developing countries cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

"China's position is very important. It is part of a global vision, consistent with 'building a community with a shared future for mankind' proposed by President Xi," Giusto said.

The academic said that China's decision is highly appreciated by developing countries.

"Developing countries have faced difficulties in accessing vaccines against COVID-19, a serious problem due to the lack of technology to produce them as well as financial restrictions to acquire them," he said.

"China, a strong economy and at the same time a technological superpower, seeks to facilitate access to strategic resources such as vaccines in the context of the pandemic," Giusto said.

"This decision by Beijing is something that we must highlight, especially since it occurs in a context of suffering as a result of the critical situation that the whole world faces," he added.

"The world is going through a critical and unprecedented time due to the challenges that the pandemic has brought. Cooperation in health, development and other areas is fundamental. The idea of a community with a shared future for mankind, promoted by China, can be considered almost as a necessity," he said.