China will give Timor-Leste 100,000 doses of a Chinese-made vaccine against COVID-19, the People’s Daily reports, citing Chinese Ambassador to Timor-Leste Xiao Jianguo.

China is trying to make vaccines cheaper and more readily available, and will keep working with Timor-Leste to counter the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese Communist Party newspaper quotes Mr Xiao as telling Timorese Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak when they met last week.

Mr Xiao said priority would be given to inoculating Chinese living in Timor-Leste.

Mr Matan Ruak thanked China for its support and promised to help make vaccine available to Chinese living in his country, the People’s Daily says.

Separately, the Timorese government said it would receive 100,000 doses of CoronaVac, a vaccine developed by Sinovac Biotech Ltd of China.