Government of Ecuador says that China Sinovac approves a project for a vaccine plant in its territory

Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac has approved a project to build a vaccine plant in Ecuador, as part of a comprehensive agreement that would include clinical trials and technology transfer, the Ecuadorian Ministry of Health said.

Ecuador is seeking to strengthen its relations with the Asian giant after the official visit of President Guillermo Lasso to Beijing at the beginning of the month, which concluded with the signing of a memorandum to start negotiations for a trade agreement, which would be finalized by the end of the year.

“Sinovac presented a tentative calendar of scheduled activities until 2032 and approved the implementation of the project in Ecuador,” the Ministry of Health said in a statement late Monday, without giving further details.

Sinovac and Ecuador agreed to carry out economic, technical and scientific validation studies, which will allow determining the place of installation of the plant, the technology and the legal mechanism that the countries will use for the execution of the project.

“Based on this, it is planned to structure a contract for the operation and construction of the vaccine plant,” he added.

Ecuador is using Chinese vaccines from Sinovac and CanSino against COVID-19, which has allowed it to achieve significant vaccination coverage of its population, including minors. On Tuesday, the vaccination of three and four-year-old children with doses of Sinovac began progressively.

Both countries seek a comprehensive agreement that aims to develop a Chinese proposal that includes conducting clinical trials in the country; strengthening and technical, scientific and technological transfer; and process of training and transmission of knowledge, according to the ministry.

Lasso recently announced the donation of 2.5 million COVID-19 vaccines by China.