Facing trust deficit, Russian, Chinese vaccine could use a shot in the arm

For an indication of the trust deficit, look at the way the market responded to Russia's green light for its Sputnik V vaccine, or to news the flagship vaccine is more than 90% effective

In a pandemic, trust is everything.

Beijing and Moscow saw early the potential benefits of pulling ahead in the race to produce an effective inoculation against Covid-19. Apart from the public health benefits and the keen awareness in both governments of the need to be self-reliant, a clear win would validate top-down models of government and innovation. It would also mean a much-needed image boost, at home and abroad.

In the end, both have had success. Moscow in August, to great fanfare, became the first to grant regulatory approval for a vaccine, one of its two leading candidates. By then, Beijing had