BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbia has signed a deal with China for the purchase of 2 million additional doses of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, which already has helped the Balkan country rapidly vaccinate its population.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic signed the contract on Thursday. He thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Chinese Communist Party leadership and Sinopharm's management “for supplying the vaccines at these difficult times.”

Vucic has often criticized the European Union and the West for the slow delivery of COIVD-19 vaccines to Serbia and other less developed nations and praised China and Russia for coming to the rescue.

Serbia, which formally seeks EU membership, has announced plans to start the production of vaccines developed in China and Russia that have not yet been approved by the European Medicines Agency for use.

The Balkan nation of 7 million has administered more than 2 million doses so far, one of the highest rates in Europe. Most Serb citizens have received the Sinopharm vaccines, followed by Sputnik V, Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs.