Serbia's Vaccine Race
Serbia accepts vaccine help from China, Russia and the EU
Serbia has now vaccinated over 20% of its adult population. If it becomes the first country in Europe to reach full mass vaccination, some say it will be as a result of Chinese vaccine diplomacy.
In Serbia, people have a wide range of vaccine choices, from Pfizer to Moderna to Sputnik. But by far the most available vaccine is China's Sinopharm. 'China has become Serbia's best friend in the east. They literally replaced Russia as the primary partner outside the western world', says analyst Vuk Vuksanovic. President Aleksandr Vucic has fought back against critics who say the vaccines will be followed by pressure from Beijing: 'Serbia is on the European path, but yes, Serbia is collaborating well with China and we will collaborate even better and we will collaborate even more'. Some are just happy to be vaccinated, no matter the source: 'Who are our real friends? That's Russia and China, because they sent us the vaccines', says taxi driver Dalton Curanovic.
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