By He Yin
Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 21 delivered an important speech at the Global Health Summit via video in Beijing titled Working Together to Build a Global Community of Health for All.
To seek better health for mankind and development for the world, he raised proposals to advance global cooperation against the COVID-19 pandemic and announced measures to support global anti-pandemic cooperation, which was of great significance for revitalizing multilateralism, promoting international anti-pandemic cooperation and leading the reforms of global health governance system.
COVID-19 is the most serious pandemic in a century, which is testing mankind’s preparedness and capacity for coping with major public health emergencies.
Since March 2020, President Xi has attended over 10 multilateral summits, including the G20 Extraordinary Virtual Leaders’ Summit on COVID-19, at which he made profound explanation on building a global community of health for all and announced a series of major initiatives and measures. China has mounted a massive global humanitarian operation, practicing the philosophy of building a global community of health for all with concrete actions.
Chinese philosophies and actions are demonstrating the strong power of solidarity and cooperation.
At present, the world is seeing repeated resurgence and frequent mutations of the coronavirus. The situation still remains complicated and arduous. At the Global Health Summit, Present Xi said the world shall put people and their lives first, follow science-based policies and ensure a coordinated and systemic response, stick together and promote solidarity and cooperation, uphold fairness and equity as we strive to close the immunization gap, and address both the symptoms and root causes as it improves the governance system. His proposals were widely recognized.
His remarks on putting people at the center, building on science and evidence-based policies and coordinating pandemic prevention and control and economic recovery were included in a declaration of the summit.
China is always fulfilling its responsibilities. President Xi said that “we must put people’s lives and health front and center, demonstrate a great sense of political responsibility and courage, and make extraordinary responses to an extraordinary challenge.” He stressed that G20 members need to shoulder responsibilities in global cooperation against the virus, and adopt responsible macro-economic policies and step up coordination to keep the global industrial and supply chains safe and smooth. Besides, major vaccine-developing and producing countries need to take up their responsibility, he added. His remarks have hit the nail on the head in dealing with the pandemic today, and demonstrated a keen sense of responsibility for the world.
Actions speak for themselves. China, the largest exporter of COVID-19 vaccines, has provided 300 million doses for the world. It has provided $2 billion in assistance for the COVID-19 response and economic and social recovery in developing countries hit by the pandemic. A cooperation mechanism has been established for Chinese hospitals to pair up with 41 African hospitals, and construction for the China-assisted project of the Africa CDC headquarters officially started at the end of last year. All China’s proposals are being implemented.
At the Global Health Summit, President Xi announced new measures of China to support global anti-pandemic cooperation. The country will provide an additional $3 billion in international aid over the next three years to support COVID-19 response and economic and social recovery in other developing countries. It will provide still more vaccines to the best of its ability. China supports its vaccine companies in transferring technologies to other developing countries and carrying out joint production with them. Having announced support for waiving intellectual property rights on COVID-19 vaccines, China also supports the World Trade Organization and other international institutions in making an early decision on this matter. Besides, China proposes setting up an international forum on vaccine cooperation for vaccine-developing and producing countries, companies and other stakeholders to explore ways of promoting fair and equitable distribution of vaccines around the world. As a responsible major country, China has played an important and constructive role at the critical moment, which has been widely hailed by the international community.
To jointly advance international anti-pandemic cooperation, build a global community of health for all, and work for a healthier and brighter future for humanity remains the right approach to defeating the virus. China will keep working with the international community to deepen cooperation, and make new and greater contributions to the final victory over the virus, the promotion of global economic recovery, and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
