China struggles to meet targets for vaccination without making it mandatory

China faces an uphill task in meeting its target of vaccinating 40 per cent of its population by the end of June. - AFP

BEIJING (The Straits Times/ANN): China has insisted that inoculations against Covid-19 are entirely voluntary, but various measures have suggested the reality of its massive national vaccination exercise is far more complex.

While the central authorities have called for an end to the heavy-handed measures, the country still faces an uphill task in meeting its target of vaccinating 40 per cent of its population, or about 560 million people, by the end of June.