In an attempt to bolster the image of its failed Coronavirus vaccine, China has once again allegedly started playing its dirty tricks. Recently, news reports claiming that Indian businessmen had taken Chinese vaccines in Nepal to travel to Beijing had come to light. However, before the false reports could snowball into anything more than a pure slab of falsehood, Nepal’s Health Ministry on Thursday dismissed such claims, according to a news report by WION.
Ganesh Shrivastav, the information officer at the Ministry of Health and Population, Nepal, point-blank stated that there was no possibility of any Indian businessmen getting the Chinese vaccines in Nepal as those wishing to get vaccinated must produce their identity before receiving the jab.
“We have been regularly maintaining the record of those receiving vaccines against COVID-19, so there is no possibility of someone getting vaccinated without disclosing their identity,” the minister was quoted as saying by the PTI.
On March 16, the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu issued a notice and informed that anyone visiting Beijing should have to submit a certificate of Covid-19 vaccination manufactured in China while applying for the visa. Nepal had recently received 800,000 doses of Chinese vaccine called “Vero Cell” developed by Sinopharm as a grant and started inoculating its selected population. However, it is imperative to note that India had also supplied Nepal with 10 lakh free doses of vaccines.
It is highly plausible that the Chinese state media might have helped propagate the news through its proxies, jealous of the success of Indian vaccines. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country has been at the forefront of providing vaccine to desperate countries around the world under the campaign “Vaccine Maitri”.
In less than two months since vaccine diplomacy began, the Modi government has reportedly distributed nearly 66 million doses of vaccines to 91 countries. Vaccine diplomacy is being seen as part of India’s soft power, which has the potential to give New Delhi a coveted strategic space in the emerging world order.
Therefore, a rattled Beijing is seemingly trying all it can to besmirch the Indian vaccine success story. As reported previously by TFI, while the Chinese propaganda outlet, Global Times continues to claim that India’s vaccine prowess and diplomacy do not affect Beijing, the ground reality is starkly different.
Read More: Frustrated by India’s COVID-19 vaccine success, Chinese hackers trying to steal important info
According to a report by Cyfirma, at least 15 hacking campaigns are currently active and trying to steal crucial information of patients and Covid vaccine research. India’s Serum Institute, Bharat Biotech, Patanjali and AIIMS are all under the radar of Chinese and Russian hackers.
An embattled and cornered China, thus, seems to be waging a digital war against India by disseminating fake news and trying to hack the pharmaceutical companies. Unfortunately for Xi Jinping and his minions, nothing can stop India’s rise as the global superpower in the post-pandemic era.