When the Chinese hear about Biontech, it's usually nothing good.

At the end of April, the short news channel Weibo reported that the German vaccine triggered hepatitis.

That's not true.

The cited studies on the fact that some children with hepatitis had previously been vaccinated against Covid do not claim that there is a causal relationship between the two.

Chinese internet users, on the other hand, felt confirmed: foreign vaccines cannot be trusted.

Henrik Ankenbrand

Economic correspondent for China based in Shanghai.

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Thiemo Heeg

Editor in Business.

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No wonder, then, that on Monday of all days, when the Mainz-based biotech company presented its quarterly figures, the respected Shanghai business magazine Yicai reported that the "clinical test phase 2" of the German vaccine in China had just been extended by Beijing's regulators until October 30th - to third time after being launched in December 2020.

If this is the case, people in China shouldn't have any hope that Biontech will help them to live with the virus.

After all, the German vaccine with mRNA technology has been proven to be much more effective than the Chinese inactivated vaccines, the effectiveness of which is dangerously low, especially in old people.

The fact that China, obviously out of arrogance and revenge because its own vaccines are not approved in Europe, has been preventing the German vaccine for a year and a half now, is the focus of the concentrated criticism from abroad of the brutal lockdowns in the metropolis of 26 million inhabitants shanghai

They had no understanding for the Chinese “zero Covid policy”, said the President of the Robert Koch Institute, Lothar Wieler, and the virologist Sandra Ciesek at the FAZ congress in Frankfurt on Friday.

The Financial Times recently commented that President Xi Jinping must overcome his "pride" and finally allow foreign mRNA vaccines such as Biontech and Moderna.

"People's war" not only against the virus

The fact that 130 million Chinese over 60 are not vaccinated is the main argument for the lockdowns, which in the case of Shanghai have been dragging on for more than a month, and for many residents even twice as long.

But currently only foreigners in expensive private hospitals receive a vaccination appointment.

The magazine "Spiegel" had speculated at the end of April that the government now seemed to be considering the German vaccine.

Talks between Biontech and Chinese representatives are scheduled.

Last year, Biontech entered into a partnership with the Shanghai conglomerate Fosun for the production of 100 million cans a year.

At the beginning of the year, the company assured that it would continue to focus on the huge market.

A statement as to when the vaccine will be approved

However, the company did not want to meet.

On Monday it was only said in Mainz that as soon as there was any news about approval, it would be announced.