Religion and Vaccine Arguments

[tim]

AI:

Yes — there was a specific situation where China allowed German nationals in China to receive the BioNTech/Pfizer mRNA COVID‑19 vaccine while it still generally restricted mRNA shots for its own population — and the reasons are largely political, regulatory, and reciprocal rather than scientific or “China giving Germans better vaccines”.
1330 & 101.5 WHBL
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Here’s what happened and why:

What actually occurred

In late 2022, China agreed to allow the BioNTech/Pfizer mRNA COVID‑19 vaccine to be administered to German expatriates living in China at select international hospitals (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, etc.). This was part of a deal following a state visit by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and diplomatic negotiations between China and Germany.
1330 & 101.5 WHBL

At the same time, China had not fully approved BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine for the general Chinese population — meaning most Chinese citizens in mainland China could not receive it at that time.
euronews

Meanwhile, in Germany, Chinese expatriates and other residents could access Chinese COVID‑19 vaccines (e.g., Sinovac/Sinopharm) that had been approved there, as part of a reciprocal arrangement.
1330 & 101.5 WHBL

Why this selective policy happened
1. China’s regulatory approach

China initially prioritized domestically developed vaccines (e.g., Sinovac, Sinopharm) and was slow to approve foreign mRNA vaccines for the general population, even though BioNTech’s shot had been authorized in many other countries for years.

Regulators reportedly wanted to protect confidence in its own vaccines and allow local mRNA vaccine candidates time to advance before fully opening the market to foreign mRNA shots.
Reddit

This meant that while foreign vaccines weren’t generally approved, there was room to allow “special use” for specific groups under diplomatic agreements.

2. Diplomatic and reciprocal agreements

The arrangement with Germany was a diplomatic compromise:

China allowed the mRNA vaccine for German citizens in China.

In return, Chinese nationals in Germany could access Chinese vaccines like Sinovac there.

This kind of give‑and‑take helps both sides maintain face and reciprocity in international relations and was tied to broader negotiations beyond just health policy.
euronews

3. China’s stance on vaccine sovereignty

For much of the pandemic, Chinese policy strongly favored “self‑reliance” — using and promoting China‑made vaccines.

Full approval of a Western mRNA vaccine for the entire population was seen as undercutting that strategy, so limited, group‑specific authorizations were used instead.

Important Clarifications

This wasn’t a case of “China giving foreign residents better science.”
It was about diplomacy and regulatory caution within a specific context as China was revising its COVID policy in late 2022.
1330 & 101.5 WHBL

Eventually, China has taken steps to authorize mRNA vaccines more broadly, but the initial rollout was cautious and tied up with political negotiations.

Bottom line

China’s initial decision to allow only German nationals in China to receive an mRNA vaccine while Chinese citizens continued to use domestic vaccines was driven by:

Regulatory caution and preference for domestic vaccines

Diplomatic and reciprocal arrangements with Germany

A hesitant policy toward foreign mRNA vaccines that changed over time

So the policy was not about vaccine efficacy or nationality alone, but about how China chose to manage approval and international relations during a complex phase of the pandemic.

If you want, I can walk through how China’s vaccine approval timeline evolved over the pandemic (e.g., when mRNA shots eventually became available to the general public) — just ask!