Smell of Competition in Covid-19 Vaccine Development

Kompas

In this June 16, 2020, file photo, French President Emmanuel Macron visits an industrial development laboratory at French drugmaker\'s vaccine unit Sanofi Pasteur plant in Marcy-l\'Etoile, near Lyon, central France. As the race for a vaccine against the new coronavirus intensifies, many rich countries are rushing to the front of the line by placing advance orders for the inevitably limited supply to guarantee their citizens are immunized first.

The conflict that led to the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston, in the US state of Texas, smacks of rivalry in the development of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Research into a Covid-19 vaccine is at the crux of China-US tensions that have culminated in the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston. Beyond the global need to curb coronavirus transmission and the China-US display of military might, the vaccine’s commercial value and sale will later prove to be the reason behind the feud between the two superpowers.