Active Development AidData Chinese Aid

Chinese People's Liberation Army agrees to donate 300,000 Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine doses worth $5.4 million to South African National Defence Force in December 2021

$5.4M USD

Funder	Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA)
Recipient Organization	South African National Defence Force (SANDF)
Country	South Africa
Start Date	Dec 14, 2021
End Date	Apr 07, 2032
Duration	3,767 days
Number of Grantees	1
Roles	Recipient
Data Source	AidData Chinese Aid
Grant ID	`96142`

Grant Description

On December 14, 2021, the Chinese People's Liberation Army reportedly agreed to donate 300,000 doses of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines to the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). These vaccines have a value of USD $5.4 million.

The vaccines were to be delivered to the South African Department of Health to be distributed to the SANDF, however the shipment was delayed due to the vaccine not being cleared for usage at the time of the offer. The PLA is waiting for an official request by the SANDF to export its vaccines.

The Sinovac vaccines were approved in South Africa in February 7, 2022, but it is unclear if this commitment for 300,000 vaccines was fulfilled.

📋 Staff Comments

1. According to the UNICEF COVID-19 Vaccine Market Dashboard, the price of a single Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine dose is $18 (https://www.oecd.org/officialdocuments/publicdisplaydocumentpdf/?cote=DCD/DAC/STAT(2022)33&docLanguage=En). As such, AidData has estimated the monetary value of the December 2021 donation as $5.4 million.

📚 Sources & References

China donates 300k CoronaVac doses to South African army
South African regulator approves Sinopharm COVID vaccine
Beijing’s soft power: China offers 300,000 free vaccine jabs to SANDF troops
China Donates 300,000 CoronaVac Doses to South African Army
Report: China to Provide Enough Vaccines For All Unvaccinated Soldiers in the South African Military
DAC Working Party on Development Finance Statistics Loan applications and disbursements are still being received and processed as the projects continue to evolve. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation are in place to ensure project continuity.