China said all its leaders received locally made COVID-19 shots, the first time a confirmation was made in the absence of a vaccine mandate for the country with the world’s strictest controls against the virus.
The Chinese leadership is “highly confident” in domestic vaccines, National Health Commission official Zeng Yixin said at a briefing on Saturday. The department also addressed concerns surrounding the shots, saying the vaccines won’t trigger illnesses such as leukemia and diabetes.
The Foreign Ministry had previously refused to comment on President Xi Jinping’s vaccination status, in contrast with leaders such as President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who both got vaccinated on camera in 2020. Xi’s statements on vaccines have focused on demands to make them a “global public good,” and advances in science, rather calls for the broader population at home to take them.
