After China displayed its homegrown vaccine for the first time to counter the storm of foreign criticism over its early handling of the pandemic, President Xi Jinping on Tuesday said his country acted in an open and transparent manner on the COVID-19 outbreak. He stated that China had taken concrete efforts that helped save tens of millions of lives around the world during the pandemic. While honouring role models who helped in the country’s fight against the disease, he said China is the first major economy to return to growth during the pandemic.