They are called CoronaVac, Sinopharm or even Sputnik V. And they could well overshadow Western vaccines against Covid-19.
These products developed by China and Russia, shunned by the West, have been the subject of large orders by developing countries in recent months.
How to explain the success of vaccines from these two countries?
Very early on, they were able to forge partnerships with the most modest States, their initial target.
Initially, concerning the production of their product - India, for example, will manufacture 100 million annual doses of Sputnik V -, but also by including these countries in their clinical trials.
Thus, Brazil, which has tested the Chinese vaccine CoronaVac on its soil, has also placed an order for 100 million doses, which will be designed in Sao Paulo.
By hosting these trials, these states have also obtained access to clinical data on vaccines, such as their efficacy, which have not been public for a long time, and some still are not.
Vaccines for all
With three vaccines developed in record time, China also sees a way to improve its image internationally.
The country has made a change in official discourse in recent months, saying that the epidemic has not started on its soil, but that it is rather the first to have detected and brought it under control.
In this sense, the Asian power wants to give itself the role of the country which will provide an antidote for all.
"Their communication consists in saying that there are, on the one hand, the rich countries which made vaccines for the rich and privileged countries, and on the other, China, which made vaccines for the whole world. », Analyzes Antoine Bondaz, researcher at the Foundation for Strategic Research and specialist in Chinese foreign policy.
Nevertheless, the expert specifies that if, officially, Beijing does not ask for any compensation from the States to which it delivers doses, there are important political interests at stake for the Asian power.
This “soft power” strategy was already used from the start of the epidemic, says Nathalie Ernoult, researcher at IRIS and co-director of the Health Observatory.
“At the onset of the health crisis, China adopted
mask diplomacy
.
She sent her protections to many African countries, at a time when the rich countries were closing their borders and trying to grab all the masks that existed, ”she analyzes.
And the history of cooperation in the medical field between China and Africa is not new.
For years, the country has launched a strategy to gain a foothold on the African continent, experts say, for example by funding the construction of hospitals, medical centers and even the headquarters of the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (Africa CDC).
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Russia, for its part, is the first country in the world to have approved its vaccine, even before the end of mass clinical trials and the publication of scientific results.
Just by name, the Sputnik V vaccine is a snub to Americans, in reference to the launch of the first artificial satellite in space in 1957. Vladimir Poutine did not hesitate to have his daughter vaccinated to show, as he has been saying for several years that Russia is back on the international scientific and diplomatic scene.
The Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, even accused the Russian public media on December 29 of spreading false information about American and European vaccines.
He then assured that, in states where Sputnik V has been clinically tested, "Western vaccine developers are openly derided by the multilingual Russian state-controlled media, which has led, in some cases, to claims. absurd that vaccines will turn people into apes ”.
Moscow has, in response, denied these allegations and in turn accused the European Union of disinformation against its treatment.
Numerous advantages
Excluded from distribution agreements between Western states and the American and European pharmaceutical giants, developing countries have seen Chinese and Russian vaccines as alternatives for rapidly obtaining doses for their populations.
According to Amnesty International, rich countries have indeed monopolized enough doses to vaccinate their entire population almost three times, while around 70 poor countries will only be able to vaccinate one in ten inhabitants in 2021.
American and European firms must now honor their orders and will not be able to supply smaller countries for a long time.
As for the Covax initiative, launched so that the poorest countries can also have access to vaccines, it should take more time to be completed and the doses distributed will only be distributed to part of the population.
"A significant space has therefore been created for vaccines from the two emerging powers", reports Nathalie Ernoult.
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The vaccines from China and Russia also have a major advantage over their competitors Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna: their ease of storage.
Their products use conventional technology, not “messenger RNA” technology, which these countries claim to be more reliable and which could make a difference for developing countries.
“Already, in France, it is difficult to find refrigerators at -80 ° C.
So in Burundi, Bolivia and Laos, it's even more complicated in terms of logistics, ”emphasizes Antoine Bondaz.
"A long-term battle for influence"
These different vaccines leave the opportunity for countries that do not want to be dependent on Americans or Europeans to look elsewhere.
This is for example the case of Turkey, in diplomatic cold with the European Union and which initially turned to China (CoronaVac), before ordering doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, for his part, on Friday banned the importation of vaccines manufactured in the United States and the United Kingdom, believing that these could be used to "contaminate" his country.
Iran should nevertheless receive its share of the Covax vaccines, and will co-produce its own treatment against the new coronavirus with a Cuban company before launching manufacturing on its soil.
“These vaccines are a unique short-term opportunity, but also a long-term battle of influence for China,” notes Antoine Bondaz.
“Maybe, tomorrow, Beijing will sign for other vaccines.
And ultimately, it is the Chinese biotechnology companies and the pharmaceutical industry that will be able to establish themselves much more effectively in these developing States ”.
However, the market in these countries is still growing, and is not saturated by Western multinationals as it is in Europe.
"Vaccination will open up a space for China and Russia in the future to be major players in other issues on the international market," concludes Nathalie Ernoult.