A spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry has criticized U.S. practice of hoarding and wasting valuable COVID-19 vaccines, saying it is "no different from strangling developing countries' vulnerable anti-epidemic lifeline."

Zhao Lijian made the remarks on July 15 when asked to comment on an opinion piece published by the Washington Post, which criticized the United States of hoarding a vast number of vaccines that leads to severe waste.

"The pandemic is spreading in many parts of the world with greater challenges posed by variants of the virus," Zhao said. "Every dose of the vaccines hoarded and wasted by the U.S. could have been used to save someone's life."

"When the United States throws surplus vaccines in the trashcan, we should not only think about the numbers of vaccines wasted, but also be mindful that the United States is walking away from conscience and international responsibility," he added.