"Proud of a strong motherland"

A Chinese citizen was vaccinated against COVID-19 at a local designated hospital in the United Arab Emirates.

Courtesy of the Chinese Embassy in the UNITED Arab Emirates

"Just scan the QR code released by the WeChat public account of the embassy, fill in the appointment information, and you can directly come here to get the new crown vaccine, which is too convenient!" On May 27, Xiao Xia and more than 100 other Chinese citizens received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in a special area opened by the Safa Health Center in Dubai.

Under the joint promotion of the Chinese Embassy in the United Arab Emirates, the Consulate General in Dubai and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates, on May 23, the "Spring Seedling Action" regional COVID-19 vaccination center for Chinese citizens was officially announced to be established in Dubai, and Chinese citizens over the age of 16 with short-term visas can go to the vaccination site to receive the New Coronavirus Vaccine of Sinopharm.

"What are the precautions before vaccination?" "How do I make an appointment?" "Where is the vaccination site, can I get vaccinated if I don't speak English?" ...... In the online chat group, Zhang Xiangui, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Overseas Chinese Federation, patiently answered the questions of his compatriots. "The 'Spring Seedling Action' has facilitated compatriots in Afghanistan, effectively protected everyone's life and health, and has been widely welcomed and responded to by all walks of life, and the services of our volunteers must also quickly keep up." Zhang Xiangui said.

Since the outbreak of the epidemic, more than 100 overseas Chinese and ethnic Chinese in various parts of the UAE have set up non-governmental epidemic prevention and control teams under the guidance of embassies and consulates to release epidemic prevention information through various channels, provide material support and information consultation, and also understand the difficulties and demands of Chinese citizens in Afghanistan through chat groups. After the establishment of the vaccination point in Afghanistan, hundreds of volunteers quickly carried out preparatory work under the coordination of the embassy and consulate, counted the willingness to vaccinate, issued vaccination strategies, arranged free vehicles to and from the vaccination site, and went to the scene to provide service guarantees for the smooth development of the vaccination site.

"The 'Chunmiao Action' regional vaccination site is a vivid interpretation of the concept of 'diplomacy for the people', and the landing of this action in the UAE is an important result of the cooperation between China and Argentina in fighting the epidemic." Chinese Ambassador to the UNITED Arab Emirates Ni Jian introduced that the UAE provides a series of convenient measures for Chinese citizens to vaccinate, which is inseparable from the previous vaccine cooperation between the two countries. In July 2020, The Argentine side cooperated with China Sinopharm to carry out phase III clinical trials of the new crown vaccine, providing important support for the final emergence of the vaccine. In December, the United Arab Emirates officially registered Sinopharm's new crown vaccine, and the "Spring Miao Action" was immediately launched in Afghanistan, and Chinese citizens with long-term visas were included in the Albanian vaccination plan, and more than 80,000 Chinese citizens successfully completed vaccination in a relatively short period of time. After the opening of the regional vaccination point, my temporary personnel to Afghanistan and those in need in neighboring countries can also receive domestic vaccinations in Dubai.

"After being included in the vaccination plan, the embassy and consulates immediately notified all Chinese expatriates in the consular area, and arranged centralized door-to-door vaccination for institutions with more personnel such as Chinese-funded enterprises." Ma Wenlong, assistant general manager of China State Construction Middle East Co., Ltd., said that there is a high risk of epidemic in labor-intensive construction enterprises, and vaccination is the best way to prevent it. With the support of the embassy and consulates and the company's arrangements, all 1,653 Chinese employees of the company in 39 projects in Afghanistan have been vaccinated. "I am proud to be a Chinese that I have been able to get domestic vaccines all over the world, and my colleagues have said that they are 'full of security'." Marvin Long said.

"Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the motherland has cared deeply for overseas wanderers." The continuous promotion of Chunmiao Action and the establishment of vaccination points in the Dubai region of the United Arab Emirates reflect a high degree of coordination and execution, and we are proud of our strong motherland! Zhang Xiangui was full of emotions in his heart. In the next step, the embassy and consulates in the UAE will continue to work closely with the Arab side to gradually increase the number of vaccination sites as needed, and explore expanding the scope of services to cover more neighboring countries. (Reporter Zhou Yuan)

People's Daily Overseas Edition ( 2021-08-28 Edition 05)

Source: People's Daily Overseas Edition