A team of 51 ambassadors and senior diplomats from Africa visited on Thursday a vaccine research and manufacturing base affiliated to China National Biotech Group, the vaccine and bioscience unit of China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm), to speak with the company's executives and researchers on the development and clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccines.

The visitors were showed around the company's museum, the vaccine manufacturing lab and control center, before attending a forum on deepening anti-COVID-19 cooperation to build a shared health community of Africa and China.

Liu Jinzhen, president of Sinopharm, said at the forum that the company is willing to join hands with African people to deepen cooperation against COVID-19, in a bid to strengthen the friendship between Chinese and African people, and jointly contribute to the shared China-Africa health community.

Wu Peng, head of the Department of African Affairs in China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said vaccine is a strong weapon to guard off virus infection, and China is strictly following international norms in its research and develop of the COVID-19 vaccines.

China has officially joined the COVAX, an international initiative aimed at ensuring equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines, and is willing to strengthen vaccine cooperation between China and Africa on the basis of fully respecting the will of the African side, he said.