<p>China will donate 500,000 doses of its Covid-19 vaccine to Pakistan, the country's foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Thursday.</p>.<p>It comes as the number of coronavirus cases surged to 527,146 in Pakistan, with over 11,000 deaths since the virus was first detected in February last year.</p>.<p>"Pakistan greatly appreciates the 500,000 doses of the vaccine gifted by China," foreign minister Qureshi tweeted.</p>.<p>The news follows similar announcements from other nations in the region -- the Philippines, Cambodia and Myanmar have all announced they were set to receive vaccine donations from Beijing.</p>.<p>Qureshi had earlier told reporters: "China has assured us that the first shipment of half a million doses will be free of cost and will arrive by end of January".</p>.<p>Beijing also promised to send another one million doses by end of February, he said, adding that emergency use and authorisation of the SinoPharm vaccine had been approved in Pakistan.</p>.<p>For years, China has focused much of its attention in Pakistan on mammoth development projects, bankrolling the construction of roads, power plants and a strategic port.</p>.<p>Beijing has also recently tapped Islamabad -- one of its closest allies -- to participate in the vaccine trials, despite the country's chequered history with inoculation campaigns.</p>
<p>China will donate 500,000 doses of its Covid-19 vaccine to Pakistan, the country's foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Thursday.</p>.<p>It comes as the number of coronavirus cases surged to 527,146 in Pakistan, with over 11,000 deaths since the virus was first detected in February last year.</p>.<p>"Pakistan greatly appreciates the 500,000 doses of the vaccine gifted by China," foreign minister Qureshi tweeted.</p>.<p>The news follows similar announcements from other nations in the region -- the Philippines, Cambodia and Myanmar have all announced they were set to receive vaccine donations from Beijing.</p>.<p>Qureshi had earlier told reporters: "China has assured us that the first shipment of half a million doses will be free of cost and will arrive by end of January".</p>.<p>Beijing also promised to send another one million doses by end of February, he said, adding that emergency use and authorisation of the SinoPharm vaccine had been approved in Pakistan.</p>.<p>For years, China has focused much of its attention in Pakistan on mammoth development projects, bankrolling the construction of roads, power plants and a strategic port.</p>.<p>Beijing has also recently tapped Islamabad -- one of its closest allies -- to participate in the vaccine trials, despite the country's chequered history with inoculation campaigns.</p>