Allegations against Chinese vaccines 'distortion of facts': media

BEIJING - Some Western media's allegations against the effectiveness of Chinese vaccines lack scientific basis and distort the facts, Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao reported on Tuesday, citing the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

In response to a question about a recent New York Times report which questioned the effectiveness of Chinese vaccines in Chile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that such allegations were nothing but a distortion of facts and sensational accusations.

"The Chilean government has stated on many occasions that facts show that the Sinovac vaccine is safe and effective. Chilean medical experts believe that had there not been mass vaccination supported by the Chinese vaccine, the consequences would have been catastrophic," Wang said.

Even Chilean netizens agree that the criticisms against the Chinese vaccine were motivated by bias, and that Sinovac's vaccine has worked well in Chile, he added.

China hopes that relevant media and politicians will respect the facts and the opinions of the Chilean government and people, refrain from misleading the public, and make concrete contributions to promoting the accessibility and affordability of vaccines in developing countries rather than the opposite, the newspaper cited Wang as saying.