SK Bioscience says ‘national pride’ prevents China from accepting foreign Covid jabs
South Korea’s leading vaccine producer says it is unlikely to supply Covid jabs to China due to Beijing’s “national pride” and insistence on using domestic vaccines, even as the country is hit by its biggest outbreak of the pandemic.
In a Financial Times interview, Jaeyong Ahn, chief executive of SK Bioscience, said it was “unrealistic” to supply Covid vaccines to China in the near future.
“China is now at the heart of the pandemic. It is a matter of speed, but it won’t be easy for us to supply vaccines there unless dramatic talks take place,” he said, adding it was “about [China’s] national pride and justification as well as science”.
SK is keen to acquire an American biotech company to secure production facilities in the US, as President Joe Biden pushes to reshore strategically important industries. The company has recently set up a US subsidiary to gain a foothold in the world’s largest pharmaceutical market.
“The US executive order presents us with both opportunities and risks,” Ahn said. “If we utilise our cash well, it can substantially boost our growth momentum.”
This story originally appeared on: Financial Times - Author:Song Jung-a
