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28 March 2024


Business Insider Bangladesh

No vaccine deal yet between Sinopharm, Bangladesh: China official

BI Report || BusinessInsider

Published: 01:59, 6 June 2021   Update: 02:37, 6 June 2021
No vaccine deal yet between Sinopharm, Bangladesh: China official

Sinopharm’s Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine. Photo: Collected/File

A senior Chinese official of its embassy in Dhaka claimed that there was no deal yet between Sinopharm and Bangladesh on purchasing of Covid-19 vaccine.

Hualong Yan, minister counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission Embassy of China in Bangladesh, wrote in his verified Facebook page on Saturday.

He wrote: “Just wondering why always FALSE information from Bangladeshi side, if media’s report correct.

“First of all, NO DEAL was made between Sinopharm and Bangladeshi side till today.

“Second, this was COMMERCIAL PURCHASE negotiation between Bangladesh government and Sinopharm, rather than with Chinese government.

“It’s sincerely hoped that our Bangladeshi brothers and sisters will get the most needed vaccines at earlier date.”

On May 27, the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase approved a proposal for buying 1.5 crore doses of Sinopharm’s Covid-19 vaccine.

Dr Shadia Akter, additional secretary of the Cabinet Division, said after the meeting that the Chinese vaccine will come in three phases — 5 million every month. Per dose will cost Bangladesh $10.

Disclosure of procurement price of China’s Sinopharm vaccine in Sri Lanka has sparked a row after reports emerged that Colombo had to shell out a higher per-dose price than Bangladesh.

According to the Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka is paying $15 per dose for the Sinopharm vaccine, which is $5 higher than what Bangladesh is paying.

Before the price disclosure, Bangladesh was assured by the Chinese government that they would keep 15 million vaccine doses for Bangladesh.

Nagad
Walton