The Role of “Vaccine Diplomacy” in the Foreign Policy of the People's Republic of China

The article provides a historical background of the term “vaccine diplomacy”, discusses the reasons for its relevance to the People's Republic of China in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors aimed to analyze the directions of China's “vaccine diplomacy”, their justification and consideration of the course of cooperation in the field of vaccination between China and the countries of Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. A special place in the article is given to the role of the United States and the US-Chinese contradictions in the field of vaccine trade. During the studying,authors have made the following conclusions: China uses “vaccine diplomacy” not only for altruistic purposes, but also seeks to set up partners loyal to its economic and political interests. In some cases, such a policy is effective. However, in some states there is a certain level of sinophobia and negative perception of China as the “culprit” of the appearance of COVID-19. The US also play an important role as a global exporter of vaccines and actively competes with China, stating that it does not exercise political and economic pressure on buyers.