Morocco Rolls Out Chinese Sinopharm Vaccine Amid Public Concerns Over Transparency

Even if the vaccination will be free, voluntary and the vaccine is 86% effective, as indicated by the Minister of Health of the United Arab Emirates in a press release, Moroccans deplore the lack of transparency around the experimental data of this Chinese vaccine. "The preparations have reached very advanced stages. Field exercises covering all stages of the vaccination process for citizens have been put in place," said Health Minister Khalid Ait Taleb in a statement cited by RTBF. Following him, Jean-Michel Dogne, an expert in drug and vaccine safety at the European Medicines Agency and the WHO, reassures: "Intermediate data will probably be published in the coming weeks, before the final data, within several months... There is nothing abnormal."

Moreover, if China’s goal is to save humanity, it is also considering coming out a winner in this global race, in order to restore its reputation through this vaccine diplomacy, after the failure of its mask diplomacy and to increase its "soft power" to expand its influence and leadership in the world, said Thierry Kellner, a specialist in China’s foreign policy at ULB. In addition, it plans to "open up to the South and the North", "so that the future vaccine is accessible to all, especially the African continent", by making Morocco a hub for distribution to the African continent, the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs and African Cooperation, Nasser Bourita, had declared.

In addition, King Mohammed VI has always had a special role within the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU). Thus, in exchange for economic agreements, Morocco can potentially provide diplomatic support, an Islamic endorsement, particularly on the Uyghur issue, Thierry Kellner pointed out.