America and the Biden administration can still make a big difference in the efforts to get COVID-19 vaccines into arms globally, but waiving IP protections may only be a gesture, and on vaccine diplomacy, Russia and China have a big head start.
by Xu Deshun and Ma Fanhui
Editor s note: The authors, Xu Deshun and Ma Fanhui, are researchers from Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Commerce. The article reflects the authors opinions, and not necessarily the views of China Economic Net.
Over the years, the digital economy has developed greatly throughout the world. But World Trade Organization (WTO) digital trade rules have stagnated. Since the new Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala took office in February, reforms regarding digital trade rules are facing greater challenges and opportunities. Our research found that there will be mutual promotion of digital trade rules between the WTO and China, which has been a member of the organization for 20 years.
EU skeptical of US push to lift COVID vaccine patents By MARC BURLEIGH, AFP
Published May 8, 2021 8:19am The EU voiced skepticism Friday over the United States sudden push to waive COVID vaccine patents to boost supply to poorer countries, while defending its own record as the world s biggest exporter of doses. An IP waiver will not solve the problems, will not bring a single dose of vaccine in the short- and medium-term, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen told a news conference at an EU summit in Portugal, using an abbreviation for intellectual property . That position was echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who stressed that the bigger problem was US and British export restrictions on vaccines and their raw materials.
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Five Key Questions Raised by the United States’ Decision to Support a Temporary TRIPS Waiver for COVID-19 Vaccines
May.07.2021
On May 5, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai issued a statement announcing the Biden Administration’s support for waiving intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines. Ambassador Tai acknowledged the Administration’s general support for intellectual property protections, while underscoring that “the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures.” To that end, Ambassador Tai expressed the Biden Administration’s willingness to “actively participate in text-based negotiations at the World Trade Organization” regarding a Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) waiver for COVID-19 vaccines.
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The Covid-19 pandemic, which has claimed more than 32 lakh lives across the world in just a year or so, is undoubtedly a global crisis that can be best dealt with through global cooperation. Equitable access to vaccines and life-saving medicines is a prerequisite for fighting and hopefully winning the pitched battle against the novel coronavirus, which has ravaged developed and developing countries alike. Alas, a huge gulf persists between the haves and the have-nots. In Africa, for instance, barely 2 crore vaccine doses have been given so far, even as the continent accounts for around 130 crore people. In the backdrop of such stark imbalance, it’s commendable that the US has thrown its weight behind an initiative to suspend patent rules on Covid vaccines.