Halperin said the key benefit to Canadians - if the CanSino vaccine had passed testing at Dalhousie - was Canadians would have been front of the line with a guaranteed supply of the CanSino vaccine, produced in Canada by the NRC. Halperin and another leading Canadian vaccine researcher, Gary Kobinger, said geopolitical competition appears to have destroyed the Canada-China vaccine partnership.
Margaret McCuaig-Johnston - a former Canadian assistant-deputy minister responsible for vaccine collaborations with China - said she believes senior Chinese officials have blocked the CanSino shipments in order to retaliate against Canada for the Meng Wanzhou extradition case, or simply to pursue their geopolitical objectives of becoming a world-leading vaccine provider.
Even in March - before Canada committed to a vaccine partnership - there was ample public reporting indicating that China was racing for the vaccine finish line, alone