CHINA / SOCIETY Rich states accused of ‘modern piracy’ after looting life-saving vaccines By Hu Yuwei and Leng Shumei Published: Jan 28, 2021 10:52 PM Photo taken on May 18, 2020 shows a logo in front of AstraZeneca's building in Luton, Britain. AstraZeneca, which is developing a possible vaccine against COVID-19 in partnership with the University of Oxford, on Wednesday put on hold the phase-3 trial of its vaccine following an unexplained illness in one trial participant in Britain. (Photo by Tim Ireland/Xinhua)
Rich countries have been accused of “modern piracy” after reportedly using diverse tactics to source life-saving COVID-19 vaccines. Recent quarrels over scarce vaccines bring back memories of the wrestle for life-saving masks in the early stage of the outbreaks last year. Practices such as outbidding other countries to secure timely purchases in the increasingly intense global market seemingly remind us of how great powers hoarded supplies and looted resources during the colonial age.