UK's Raab: We don't condone 'vaccine diplomacy', but no doubt some are using it

[CARBIS BAY] British foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Friday there was no doubt some countries were using vaccines as diplomatic tool to secure influence, and that Britain does not support so called "vaccine diplomacy".

Asked in a Reuters interview whether he was concerned that China and Russia could use vaccines in exchange for influence in parts of the world, he said: "There's no doubt there's some of this is going about, and we don't support vaccine diplomacy, let alone blackmail.

"We think that we've got a moral duty, but also a strong vested interest in getting the world vaccinated," he said, speaking on the sidelines of a G-7 summit in Cornwall, England.

"We would only think it was responsible to be promoting vaccines that the WHO (World Health Organization) has sanctioned as safe to distribute.

"But it's a team effort. And we want the countries like China and Russia to come together to tackle the problems of pandemic, but also climate change, and also to respect the basic principles of international law."

REUTERS