US, Indo-Pacific allies to expand India’s vaccine production
Associated PressPresident Joe Biden and fellow leaders of the Indo-Pacific group known as the Quad have announced a plan to expand coronavirus vaccine manufacturing capacity in India. The effort to expand production and promote access to the vaccine in the region was unveiled Friday following a virtual meeting of the leaders of Australia, India, Japan and the United States. The effort by the group to pump up India’s vaccine manufacturing also comes as the Biden administration and leaders of other wealthy nations have faced calls from France and some global health advocacy groups to donate a small percentage of vaccine produced in the U.S. and other industrialized nations to poor countries. “The United States is committed to working with you, our partners, and all of our allies in the region to achieve stability.” Fridays’ meeting was largely focused on ramping up vaccination production in the region, climate issues and technology, but White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said China was also discussed.