China released its own corona vaccine for the first time. Chinese firms Sinovac Biotech and Sinopharm are exhibiting vaccines at the Beijing trade fair this week, said officials.
Although the vaccine has not yet reached the market, officials from the two companies expect the vaccine to be approved later this year, after the third trial is completed.
A Sinovac representative was quoted by news agency AFP as saying the company had already "completed the construction of a vaccine manufacturing plant" that would be able to produce 300 million doses per year.
Visitors to the trade fair on Monday crowded around the stalls of Sinovac and Sinopharm to see the vaccine.
While many countries around the world have criticized China's early handling of the coronavirus, China is taking new measures to combat the virus.
China's leadership in vaccine production against the virus has also been under global scrutiny.
Last May, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced vaccine production for the 'good of the world'.
Citing the chairman of Sinopharm, China's official newspaper Global Times said in a report last month that the price of their vaccines will not be too high. The price of each two doses can be less than 1000 yen or 146 dollars, which is about 12 and a half thousand rupees.
As of last month, at least 507 million doses of vaccines under investigation had been pre-ordered worldwide.
But the World Health Organization has warned that a vaccine for Covid-19 may not be available until the middle of next year.
