Updated: a graphic tracker of key developments from the leading vaccine candidates.

China is nearing the finish line in the coronavirus vaccines race with just “the last kilometer to go”, and its government is already negotiating with the WHO for potential global supplies.

Touting its coronavirus vaccines as a "global public good", China is quietly preparing for the first general approvals and launches, possibly within weeks, developers say. But who will be first in line to receive them? And at what cost? Distribution and pricing are just some of the unanswered questions.

Already producing a broader range of biologics than any biotech firm in the world, from antibodies via plasma products to testing assays to vaccines, the state-owned China National Biotec Group is becoming even bigger with policy support and one surprising helper: the coronavirus pandemic. But might it face challenges from innovators and foreign firms in a changing environment?