Photo taken on June 1, 2021 shows vials of Sinopharm vaccines in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua)
The factory, the first Chinese COVID-19 vaccine production facility in Europe, is expected to produce 30 million vaccine doses annually starting in April 2022, and to supply Serbia and several countries in the region and Europe with the Chinese-developed Sinopharm vaccines.
BELGRADE, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Construction of the first Chinese COVID-19 vaccine production facility in Europe started in Serbia on Thursday.
The factory is planned to produce 30 million vaccine doses annually starting in April 2022, and is expected to supply Serbia and several countries in the region and Europe with the Chinese-developed Sinopharm vaccines.
The foundation stone for the new factory was laid by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in the presence of Chinese Ambassador Chen Bo, according to a press release from the president's office.
Workers unload a container of China's Sinopharm inactivated coronavirus vaccines at the Belgrade Airport, Serbia, Jan. 16, 2021. (Photo by Predrag Milosavljevic/Xinhua)
Vucic said that he was proud that Serbia, together with partners from China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was "trying and seems to be able to solve some global problems."
"This is not a partnership of interest but a proof of friendship," Vucic said.
Back in January this year, Serbia started a mass vaccination campaign with the Sinopharm jab, which has been most widely used among Serbian citizens along with products from other manufacturers.
In June, Serbia started to produce Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine at the Institute of Virology, Vaccines and Sera "Torlak" in Belgrade.
A medical worker prepares a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by China's Sinopharm in Majdanpek, Serbia, on April 6, 2021. (Photo by Wang Wei/Xinhua)■
