Chinese jabs are dominating vaccination campaigns in Latin America, the region worst hit by coronavirus, in a win for Beijing that builds on its “mask diplomacy” supplies of ventilators and protective equipment last year.

As Latin America struggles against a deadly third wave of the pandemic, China has shipped more than half of the 143.5m doses of vaccines delivered to the region’s 10 most populous nations, according to a Financial Times analysis of data provided by governments. 

Chinese companies, led by Beijing-based Sinovac, have delivered 75.8m finished doses or key ingredients for doses to those 10 nations so far. The two main western suppliers to Latin America, AstraZeneca and Pfizer, have delivered 59m doses between them, with some AZ doses supplied via the World Health Organization’s Covax facility.