BEIJING, April 7. /TASS/. China expresses readiness to work with Germany and other countries to achieve rational distribution of coronavirus vaccines in the world, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said Wednesday in a phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"China opposes politicization of vaccines or the so-called vaccine nationalism and is ready to cooperate with the international community, including Germany, to facilitate fair and rational distribution of vaccines and provide support and assistance to many developing countries in obtaining these shots," CCTV quoted him as saying.

Xi Jinping also underlined that Beijing is ready to work with European partners despite the existing differences between China and the EU to "deepen and expand pragmatic cooperation in various spheres."

On March 25, French President Emmanuel Macron claimed at a press conference that Russia and China "seek to exert influence" over the world with the vaccines they produce and noted that "a world war of a new type" is now underway. The Chinese Foreign Ministry rebutted Macron’s remarks.

On April 5, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that developed countries had purchased around 60% of all vaccines produced in the world, creating a deficit for the developing ones.