China vows to be harsh on vaccine-related crimes

China on Tuesday vowed to take measures to "strictly prosecute any counterfeits, fake sales and illegal business, and other related actions that involve vaccines" after Chinese police have reportedly arrested over 80 suspects involved in manufacturing and selling fake COVID-19 vaccines.

Police in Beijing and in Jiangsu and Shandong provinces broke up the group led by a suspect surnamed Kong that was producing the fake vaccines, which consisted of a simple saline solution, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

The vaccines were sold in China and to other countries, although it was unclear which ones.

At a daily news briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin declared that China gives high importance to vaccines' safety and will strengthen cross-border cooperation to "prevent the spread of this type of illegal and criminal action."

"China has already reported the situation to the relevant countries, "said Wang, without giving further details of the countries.

China has a long history of vaccine scandals resulting from manufacturing issues as well as business practices.

Wang also commented on the report that a staff from the Canadian Embassy in China ordered a customized T-shirt in July with the word "Wuhan" and a stylized "W," which was widely considered by Chinese citizens as an image of a bat, the possible source of the virus.

Wang demanded Canada gives China "a clear explanation" after a thorough investigation.

The incident was first raised by the T-shirt store's manager on Chinese social media WeChat, Chinese media reported.

The Canadian Embassy in China later clarified that it was a "misunderstanding" and the stylized "W" is the emblem of a hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan.