Economic Daily:
How is the raw material supply for vaccine production? Can the production and supply of key materials be guaranteed? What measures have been taken to ensure the production of materials and the stability of production and supply chains? Thank you.
Li Bin:
I'd like to invite Mr. Tian Yulong to answer these questions.
Tian Yulong:
Thank you for your questions, which I think are very important. A stable and adequate supply of materials is essential to vaccine production. The MIIT accumulated significant experience in this regard while ensuring the supply of medical products last year. Thanks to the integrity of our industrial system and our ability to mobilize, organize and respond to emergencies, we established an industrial chain connecting upstream and downstream companies. The experience was helpful for us to adopt good measures in accurately connecting and ensuring the smooth operation of supply and industrial chains, and upstream and downstream vaccine production systems.
Our measures focus on two aspects. The first is to ensure the stability of the vaccine production chain. Vaccine production involves multiple links, including the supply of equipment on production lines, raw materials, auxiliary materials, packaging materials, cold-chain equipment for the transportation of vaccines, and the equipment required for vaccination. All these links require stable production and supply chains. We have focused on coordinating the production, procurement, and supply of these materials. At present, China has a complete vaccine production system; the supply of raw and auxiliary materials is orderly, stable, and sufficient enough to support large-scale production now and for some time to come. We are quite confident of this. This is the most important foundation for ensuring large-scale production and the supply of vaccines needed for the inoculation program.
The second aspect is the supply chain. To ensure the safe, efficient and quick transportation of vaccines to inoculation and distribution venues, we need to establish a logistics chain, a testing chain, and other relevant chains for upstream and downstream companies. These chains are critical for orderly, efficient, smooth, and safe production, as well as testing and the use of vaccines. The MIIT and relevant departments have established sound mechanisms for efficient cooperation to ensure not only steady production but also efficient transportation and supply of vaccines. So, please rest assured.
