China energises ‘scientific’ coronavirus policies, with new home-grown vaccine back on the agenda

Remarks by Vice-Premier Liu He suggest vaccine development remains on the agenda, with clinical trials of a home-grown Omicron jab having started in Zhejiang

He also stressed the need to explore how to ensure a city’s operation continues under ‘extreme situations’, such as lockdowns, by using technology

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clinical trials of a home-grown Omicron jab having started in Zhejiang province earlier this month. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 6:30am, 1 Jun 2022

China’s economy tsar has urged technological breakthroughs in domestic vaccines and urban management in an attempt to energise “scientific” coronavirus policies, while also doubling down on self-reliance.

The standing committee of the Politburo, the highest decision-making group in China, did not mention “stepping up the research and development of vaccines” during its meeting at the start of May, which was widely viewed as Beijing placing greater focus on enforcement of its zero-Covid strategy.

But the remarks by Vice-Premier Liu He suggest vaccine development remains on the agenda, with clinical trials of a home-grown jab targeting the Omicron variant having started in Zhejiang province earlier this month.

Liu also stressed the need to explore how to ensure a city’s operation continues under “extreme situations”, such as lockdowns, by using technology.

[We] should enhance the study on the mechanism of viruses and the research and development of vaccines and drugs, deepening the study of significant changes facing human epidemic

Liu He

“[We] should enhance the study on the mechanism of viruses and the research and development of vaccines and drugs, deepening the study of significant changes facing human epidemics,” Li told a meeting with the Chinese Academy of Engineering on Monday, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

Beijing has recently acknowledged that the combined impact of the Ukraine war, the domestic Omicron-driven wave of outbreaks and its heavy-handed virus containment measures have sent the Chinese economy to a dangerous level, raising the risk of missing the annual growth rate of “around 5.5 per cent”.

Discussions are ongoing about if and when Beijing will fine-tune its policies or unveil their virus exit strategy, given the increasing signs of rising costs and low sustainability of the zero-Covid approach.