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COVID-19: X-raying the challenges, the triumph and Nigeria’s state of preparedness
By Austin Maho Ph.D.
Reports on how China has been able to deploy unprecedented resources and mobilized its people in containing the coronavirus outbreak holds lessons for many countries around the world including Nigeria on how best to contain the virus.
Through dogged determination and “unprecedented steps” according to the World Health Organsation, China is steadily and quietly containing the virus which was initially view as an apocalypse of biblical proportions.
Recent figures from mainland China shows that COVID-19 is currently on a downward spiral, while concerns are mounting in other parts of the world on rising cases. Europe, South Korea, Iran and the United States are presenting worrying scenarios.
The worry in some of these countries is because they have treated the outbreak with kid’s gloves and thus allowed the situation to spiral out of country. Many of these countries have ignored the warnings issued by the World Health Organization when the outbreak was declared as a global health emergency in late January, and allowed its spread undetected.
The Chinese government is leading the way on the best plan of action in containing the virus. In Hubei the epicentre of the outbreak and mainland China the rate of new infection is on the decline. The news is that the infection rate of new patients is currently below those who are recovering. This is good news coming from China. With a decline in the infection rate it has become apparent that the worst may be over for China as the coronavirus has reached its zenith and has started receding. China especially Hubei can now readily heave a sigh of relief.
According to Reuters News Agency, the Chinese Mainland, as at Monday the 9th of March 2020, reported zero locally transmitted COVID-19 cases outside Hubei. This would be the second straight day of zero reported cases, as no new case was reported the previous day.
To further demonstrate the declining rate of the infection in China, the National Health Commission of China reported that on Sunday a total of 44 new cases of the coronavirus infection were confirmed across China whereas by the following day, Monday, March 09, 2020, cases of the coronavirus infections were down to 40 cases. This figure is significant because it represents the lowest number of new infection since Chinese health authority started issuing nationwide data on the coronavirus on January 20.
In total there are at present about 30,538 cases of infected people in the epicentre of the outbreak, Hubei while 33,762 have fully recovered. The significant of this data according to public health experts is that it marks a shift in the spread of the infection. This would be the first time that Hubei has more people that have recovered from the disease than are still suffering from it.
While China can quietly look forward to more improvement in the public health records of the coronavirus infection in the days ahead, the rest of the world seems to have treated the early warnings and spread of the disease with levity.
Europe is in big trouble and Italy has become the epicentre of the COVID-19 in Europe.
Italy is a big worry to health experts because it currently occupies the number three position in casualty rate after China and Iran and as a result of the free and non-restriction of movement within European countries the disease can easily spread.
European authorities showed a rather lacklustre attitude towards the containment of the disease at the beginning of the outbreak.
In Italy, some 16 million persons in the northern Italian town of Lombardy are now under quarantine, some 133 deaths were reported on Sunday, and this brings the total deaths to 366. More than 7,000 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in the country.
Germany and France have not been spared either as they both have confirmed cases of 130 apiece as at Sunday March 8,2020.
The irony however is that, while there is a slowdown in the spread of the virus in China and South Korea, the cases in Europe and the United States is in the reverse. This is unlike China which was taken by surprise and didn’t have any window of opportunity to prepare for the outbreak. It is unfortunate to note that many of these countries now battling with the virus, had the window of opportunity to prepare, but they did not do much.
The good news currently coming from China on the containment of the virus came at great social, political and economic cost to the Chinese people and government.
We recall that as at January this year many Chinese hospitals were overflowing with COVID-19 patients. The bed space to admit patient were not even available, which prompted the government to mobilise men and resources that saw to the construction of two new hospital for COVID-19 patient in record time.
But today the number of new cases reported each day has plummeted. The question is, what exactly did the Chinese do to contain the disease and what lessons can the rest of the world learn from it?
The answer can be found in the report by the World Health Organization (WHO) assessment team that visited China last week.
The team was made up of 13 public health experts drawn from all over the world who joined their Chinese counterparts to tour some cities in China to see first-hand the effectiveness of the Chinese government response to the outbreak.
Although some of the measures were described as extreme but it enabled the Chinese authorities to bring the outbreak under control.
An epidomologist, Tim Eckmanns of the Robert Koch Institute, who was part of the mission, noted that: “China’s bold approach to contain the rapid spread of this new respiratory pathogen has changed the course of a rapidly escalating and deadly epidemic,” it says. “This decline in COVID-19 cases across China is real.” He observed.
Key to the successes recorded by China in its fight against the coronavirus includes, massive shutdown of whole cities, unprecedented surveillance of people and movement, and a strict adherence to guidelines release by the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China.
The guidelines also includes prevention, control diagnosis and management which incorporated treatment regimens that include modern medicines and Chinese tradition medicines.
The strategic and stringent measures adopted by the Chinese government ensured that hundreds of thousands of people across China escaped infection.
However Steven Riley, an epidemiologist at Imperial College London, who was part of the visiting team to China, observed that the measures adopted by China to contain the outbreak poses difficult questions for all countries currently considering their response to COVID-19. While China provides a workable model he believes most countries in the West may not have the political will and legal backing to lock down whole cities as a containment measure.
However a major aspect of the report commends the spirit of the Chinese people noting that their “sense of responsibility and collective action” played a great part in containing the spread of the outbreak.
The report notes that: “China has rolled out perhaps the most ambitious, agile, and aggressive disease containment effort in history”.
As the rest of the world works toward containment and spread of the coronavirus, the good news coming from China should be an inspiration and a guide and provide the manual for containing the spread of COVID-19.
Back home in Nigeria and with the anounncement of the second case of the coronavirus Nigeria also have a lot to learn from China.
It is commendable that Prisident Buhari has not being in denial as to the seriousness of the outbreak.
In a recent statement the President emphasized the need to contain the virus and the country’s commitment to the global effort to stem the epidemic.
“Nigeria will continue to fulfill its obligations to the international community, by ensuring that we curtail the spread of the disease. The Federal Government is making available all the resources required to contain the threats” President Buhari said.
He also expressed sympathies and Solidarity with countries that are currently facing serious outbreaks of the disease. “My deep sympathies to the Presidents of Iran & South Korea,and the Prime Minister of Italy, following increasing incidents of Coronavirus in their countries” He said.
It is hope that the position of Mr President will galvanize the Nigerian people toward more positive action in controlling the outbreak while at the same time stopping the spread of panic and victimization.
March 9, 2020
U.S. society knows how to help China
By Wu Chuping
Global countries are lending a helping hand to China amid the novel coronavirus epidemic.
Under the coordination of the U.S. Department of State, 16 tons of medical and protective materials have been donated to epicenter Hubei by American charity organizations, including 380,000 pieces of N95 masks, 29,000 pairs of medical gloves and 6,000 protective suites.
However, the up to $100 million of assistance for China and other affected countries promised by the department is still not in position.
Compared with the U.S. government, the U.S. businesses, friendly organizations and civil society organizations are acting way more actively. Over 100 member enterprises of the American Chamber of Commerce in the People’s Republic of China (AmCham China) have donated cash and supplies totaling 500 million yuan ($71 million) for China.
According to statistics from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the U.S. companies have offered the most assistance to China among their global peers, and their donation is much higher than that made by companies from other countries.
The U.S. non-governmental humanitarian aid organization MedShare, the Coca-Cola Foundation and United Parcel Service (UPS) jointly donated 1.8 million pieces of masks and 80,000 protective suits to China, which marks the largest-ever single donation of medical supplies made by the U.S. society.
The 200,000 pieces of masks, 27,500 pairs of medical gloves, and 4,000 protective suites from the first batch of donation by DirectRelief, one of the “10 Best Charities Everyone’s Heard Of” in the U.S., have also arrived at Wuhan Union Hospital recently.
Besides, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation founded by Bill Gates announced that it would immediately commit up to $100 million for the global response to the 2019 novel coronavirus, and $5 million of the fund has been delivered to relevant Chinese organizations.
The National Committee on United States–China Relations, U.S.-China Business Council and George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations have collected medical supplies, including masks for China, and these supplies were sent to China by the charter flight of FedEx free of charge. In addition, the NBA has also donated 5 million yuan to China.
Walter Ian Lipkin, professor of epidemiology at Columbia University, known as “virus hunter”, came to China at the first opportunity and worked with Chinese academicians including Zhong Nanshan to study the virus, saying he’s willing to offer new diagnostic reagents free of charge.
Many people and experts in the U.S. also offered new vaccines and drugs that might help, and a significant number of U.S. citizens expressed their sympathy and support for China through the Chinese embassy and consulates in the U.S.
The overseas Chinese and Chinese students in the U.S. played their parts, too. According to Chinese Consulate General in New York, organizations, overseas Chinese and Chinese students in its consulate region have donated nearly $40 million in cash and materials to China, including 7 million pieces of masks and 217,000 protective suits.
The epidemic is like a mirror that reflects the friendship between the Chinese and Americans. However, it has also presented the nature of some U.S. politicians who smell blood and favor a chaotic world.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, rather than offering constructive ideas for China to better cope with the epidemic, has been slandering China and trying to alienating the Chinese people from the Communist Party of China.
Wilbur Ross, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce even remarked that the epidemic in China would “help to accelerate” the return of jobs to the U.S., which is totally inhumane.
Senator Tom Cotton, who has always been an anti-China enthusiast, said blatantly that the coronavirus might have been created in a Chinese laboratory for biological warfare.
The Wall Street Journal, titled the headline of one of its articles “China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia”. Such act is nothing but indulgence of racism.
Even when China has achieved initial progress of epidemic control, Senator Marco Rubio was still turning a blind eye to the facts, making nonsense that the data released by China were not real and the epidemic was not contained.
Fortunately, the Chinese people are from a nation that values friendship and has a clear-cut stand on what to love and what to hate. From the bottom of our heart, we appreciate and will always remember our sincere friendship with the American people.
The epidemic knows no border, and the cooperation between China and the U.S. amid the epidemic should be something that highlights their bilateral relationship, rather than breaking it.
When the two peoples are joining hands to combat the novel coronavirus, they should also eliminate the “virus” that hinders the development of China-U.S. ties, fans up hatred between the two countries, and instigates confrontation between the two peoples.
Source: People’s Daily
February 29, 2020
COVID-19: Hardship Reveals True Friendship
Zhou Pingjian
The COVID-19 outbreak is a major public health emergency that has spread in the fastest speed, caused the most extensive infection and is the most difficult to contain in China since the founding of the People’s Republic on October 1, 1949.
The WHO declares COVID-19 “public enemy number one”. Containing the epidemic at the source is of essence. Guided by the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind, China is fulfilling its responsibility for the life and health of its own people and for global public health security.
Under the strong leadership of President Xi Jinping, the 1.4 billion Chinese people are making all-out efforts in fighting the epidemic. The government has taken the most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough measures, many of which have far exceeded what WHO and International Health Regulations required. Through arduous efforts, the epidemic is generally under control, and the positive trend in the prevention and control work is now expanding. China’s effective response and sacrifice have averted the further spread of the virus in the world. We have the full confidence, capacity and determination to not only win a full victory against the epidemic but also meet China’s economic and social development goals.
Hardship reveals true friendship. Ruthless as the epidemic, we are deeply touched by the compassion shown to us from the international community. Recently, the Embassy has been inundated with heartwarming sympathies and good wishes from Nigerian brothers and sisters. We highly appreciate that the government and good people of Nigeria firmly stand by us in this difficult time. As President Muhammadu Buhari noted in his statement of solidarity on February 2, “China’s efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus have been exemplary, as well as the country’s collaboration with international agencies and other countries on the matter”, “With all the efforts being put in, we know that it is only a matter of time before this nightmare passes.” Indeed, together we shall prevail.
Foreign nationals are safe in China. According to the professional evaluation of WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros, the safest way for foreign nationals in Wuhan is to stay put and ensure effective self-protection. He has cautioned against hasty movement as it will add more uncertainties. We still suggest that countries to follow WHO recommendations and educate their nationals to ensure sound protection in accordance to local health regulations.
The Chinese government attaches great importance to the safety and well-being of foreign nationals, including foreign students. The Foreign Ministry of China has directed relevant local departments to take the protection of foreign nationals in China as a high priority and to work hard to address their difficulties. Please be assured that we will take all necessary and effective measures to protect the safety and health of Nigerian nationals in China.
We have enhanced information disclosure. Local departments have kept local foreign nationals informed in an open and transparent way via websites, WeChat, Weibo and e-mail, posting updates on the epidemic situation through public letters, releasing information on self-protection, opening 24-hour multilingual hotlines. The host provinces and municipalities of consular missions have held news briefings or video conferences to share updates on the latest development of the epidemic and answer questions. Guangdong Province compiled and circulated a Handbook on the Epidemic Prevention and Control for the consular missions.
We have worked to guarantee the life needs of foreign nationals. Ensuring the well-being of foreign nationals has been made a priority in the work of local governments and community-level bodies, who have worked hard to meet the needs of foreigner in daily life, epidemic prevention and treatment, and resolve their legitimate concerns to the best of their ability. Consulates have been provided masks, sanitizer and other preventive materials to solve their difficulties.
We have done our best to treat foreign patients. Local authorities are making their best efforts to see that foreign patients are treated in a timely manner and well taken care of. As of February 19, 29 foreign nationals in China had been diagnosed with the COVID-19. Among them, 10 were in Hubei province, there were 18 recovered and discharged cases, 2 deaths and 9 cases under treatment in isolation. No reported cases of Nigerian being diagnosed with COVID-19 in China.
We have tried our best to provide services for international students. The Chinese government cares about the life and health of foreign students just as we care for our own children. Leading local officials have either visited foreign students in person or talked to them through video links. For example, Party Secretary of Jiangxi Province visited the more than 500 international students in Nanchang University to offer his support. Many universities have launched online courses to provide diverse means of study for international students. All of them have distributed masks and other personal protective supplies to their international students and worked to ensure that they can have meals in canteens or through food delivery. Local government agencies have coordinated to complete visa and residence permit procedures for international students. Those who are confirmed to be infected with the virus are under good medical care.
In Hubei Province, there are 5400-plus international students, including 50 Nigerian students in Wuhan. All universities in the province have taken thoughtful measures. For example: they have launched 41 special hotlines to provide 24/7 counseling for international students; assigned staff to provide free food delivery and buy stuff for students staying in dorms; created WeChat groups consisting of faculty members, volunteers and international students to learn about their needs and situations; provided psychological counseling to ease loneliness, anxiety and fear; with regard to the difficulties reported, school authorities have tried to resolve problems after verifying the situations with the students concerned.
Having said that, facing such an unprecedented outbreak, it is impossible to have been perfect in our work. There are areas where we are not doing good enough. We welcome opinions and suggestions and will make improvements accordingly.
The COVID-19 comes and will go. The outbreak is just temporary, but friendship and cooperation are forever. China will always remember the sympathy and support given to us in this battle against the virus. Our heartfelt appreciation goes to all the countries, international organizations and people across the world who have stood with us in tackling the epidemic.
(Dr. Zhou Pingjian is Ambassador of China to Nigeria
February 27, 2020
Racism will never be tolerated
By Zhong Sheng
The solidarity and cooperation of the international society are highlighting the global efforts to get through the hard time amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. However, harsh and racist voices have also been made by certain media outlets, which was nothing but a shame.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) was one of them.
In a recent op-ed of the newspaper, it slandered the efforts made by the Chinese government and Chinese people to combat the virus, and its editors even made the title extremely racially discriminatory – China is the Real Sick Man of Asia. The headline seemed to attract audience, but it reflects only arrogance and contemptibility, and a lack of humanity.
Such practice received strong condemnation from the international society. By Feb. 25, a total of over 115,000 people have signed a petition launched on White House’s website, demanding a formal apology from the WSJ for the article, and either a retraction of the article or a rectification of the title.
“Racism cannot be tolerated.” The last sentence of the petition expresses the firm stand of the signers.
WSJ’s 53 employees also requested their employer to correct the headline and apologize to those who were offended in a recent letter they submitted to the management board of the press. “This is not about editorial independence or the sanctity of the divide between news and opinion. It is about the mistaken choice of a headline that was deeply offensive to many people, not just in China,” they wrote in the letter.
Obviously, both readers and professionals share broad consensus on this racially discriminatory practice. It’s totally rational and reasonable for the Chinese side and the international society to request proper rectification from the WSJ.
However, the newspaper not only turned a deaf ear to such voices of justice, but also made excuses in other commentaries it published. The arrogance and illogic it exposed further indicated its lack of justice and righteousness.
The consequences of publishing an opinion like this by mainstream media include stoking more fear and anxiety, and increasing hostility against Chinese and other Asians throughout the world, said Catherine Ceniza Choy, a professor of ethnic studies at the University of California, Berkeley, adding that this is extremely harmful and wrong. What she said exactly explained the real damage caused by the WSJ’s headline.
Humans, regardless of their ethnicity and nationality, should combat epidemics with each other to jointly defeat the virus just like what the World Health Organization (WHO) called on .
To fan up racial discrimination and slander China will only hurt the people who are fighting the epidemic, bring panic to the international society, and damage the joint efforts made by the world. Such a headline is not telling truth, but distorting it and hurting public interests. What it has exposed is the newspaper’s arrogance and prejudices.
The resounding efforts made by the Chinese government and Chinese people to fight the virus have already won wide respect from the world, which is something that will never be covered by any slandering or smearing. China’s national efforts aim to not only protect the lives and health of its own people, but also contain the spread of the virus in other parts of the world. The country has made remarkable contribution to the battle against the epidemic.
“The world is in your debt,” said Bruce Aylward, Assistant Director-General of the WHO and team lead for the WHO-China joint mission on coronavirus after a field investigation in China. “When this disease finishes, hopefully we’ll have a chance to thank the people of Wuhan for the role that they played in it,” he noted, adding that the people of that city have gone through an extraordinary period.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres also said that the Chinese are making efforts for humanity.
Both news and opinions must be based on facts and shall not break the bottom line of civilization. In the era of globalization, only by sharing the same goal and cooperating with each other can countries forge a more powerful force to defeat the epidemic.
Those media that stick to racial stereotyping with distorted views on China and contaminate the international environment can only receive forceful condemnation from the international society, including both righteous individuals and media, who said such discrimination is disgusting. They believe to stop the spread of virus is by no means to indulge discrimination, and humiliation and prejudices will only create negative impact on epidemic prevention and control. Their voices prove that to stop the attack of racial discrimination is also a part of the battle against the epidemic.
Biased viewpoints hide the truth, and one must pay for his discriminatory and humiliating practices. Only with rationality and righteousness can a healthy environment for public opinion and cooperation be nurtured to expand common interests.
(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy)
February 27, 2020
China achieves positive results in fight against novel coronavirus
By Li Longyi, Han Xin
Some positive results have been achieved by China in the fight against the novel coronavirus in Wuhan and Hubei province at large, and the strict control measures were showing signs of progress, said Ding Xiangyang, deputy secretary-general of the State Council, or the cabinet, at a press conference Thursday in Wuhan, February 20.
Ding, also a member of the central government’s steering group for epidemic, noted that the number of new cases has slowed in Wuhan and surrounding cities, in contrast with the explosive growth in the past. It is believed that this downward trend will continue, he added.
The number of new confirmed cases in Wuhan has fallen from around 4,000 per day about a week ago to less than 2,000 this week, and the number of suspected cases also dropped from a peak of 18,000 earlier this month to around 2,000, Ding introduced.
However, arduous tasks are still ahead as there are still over 30,000 patients in Wuhan receiving treatment, as well as thousands in severe and critical conditions, Ding said.
He called on all Chinese people to set their jaws to launch a final strike back at the virus with firmer confidence, stronger will and more decisive measures.
Lian Weiliang, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission introduced that a total of 336,000 N95 masks and 133,000 protective suits were collected across the country and supplied to Hubei. Under concerted efforts, the supplies for medical personnel on the frontlines to fight the novel coronavirus epidemic are guaranteed though they were once in severe shortage.
To enlarge the total capacity of hospitals, Wuhan has designated more medical institutions to receive infected patients and built makeshift hospitals for those with mild symptoms. Besides, it has also transformed qualified quarantine sites into quarantine treatment centers.
By Feb. 20, the city had offered 30,000 beds at designated hospitals, 25,000 at Fang Cang makeshift hospitals, and 4,000 at quarantine treatment centers, Lian said.
He noted that the country will keep enhancing medical supply and accelerate the release of new capacities, as well as guarantee quality and strengthen quality inspection. The supply of medical equipment such as breathing machines, ECG monitors, and blood-gas analyzers must be ensured. Special demand must be addressed with special measures, he said, adding that everything comes after saving lives and shall follow the primary principle of speed.
Yu Yanhong, deputy head of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, noted that initial progress has been achieved in the combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine in treating the novel coronavirus. The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been applied both widely and intensively, and a batch of effective prescription medicines and Chinese patent drugs have been found effective in treating the virus based on the close cooperation between Chinese and western medicine.
Treatment practices indicate that early intervention of TCM and the combined treatment of TCM and Western medicine are an important method to improve recovery rate and lower mortality rate, which also marks a significant character of the treatment.
Yu said, clinical practices prove that the combination is effective, and can rapidly improve the condition of patients with mild symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, and weakness, and cut the duration of hospital stays.
Experts also find that the combination can help prevent mild symptoms from developing into severe and critical conditions, thus reducing the death rate of the disease. Yu noted that TCM can effectively improve the number of lymphocytes, an indicator of patient recovery.
By Feb. 19, a total of 32,395 medical staff from 278 teams has been dispatched to Hubei, and more are battling on the frontline across the country. Meanwhile, the newly reported cases of infection outside Hubei has fallen for 16 days straight, and Wednesday marked the second day when recovered patients outnumbered the new confirmed cases. The widening difference indicates effective treatment and relieved pressure on the medics.
February 24, 2020
Beggar-thy-neighbor practices don’t help with global epidemic control
By Zhong Sheng
After the outbreak of the novel coronavirus epidemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has repeatedly advised against travel or trade restrictions and called on all countries to implement decisions that are evidence-based and convincing.
However, there are still certain countries that didn’t follow the WHO’s authoritative advice and took excessive restrictions. Such beggar-thy-neighbor and selfish practices didn’t help with epidemic prevention and control, but created fear and panic, disturbed normal international personnel exchange and cooperation, and exerted negative impact on the order of the international aviation market and the development of the global economy, causing rising anxieties among the public.
In front of the epidemic, any impulsive, irrational or unwise behavior could bring about secondary challenges. When the WHO declared the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) according to the International Health Regulations (IHR), it did not recommend any broader restrictions on travel or trade.
Thanks to China’s decisive and effective prevention and control measures, the number of confirmed cases reported overseas only accounts for less than 1 percent of the total number worldwide.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) noted that adopting measures that go beyond the recommendations of the WHO and the ICAO without a proper risk assessment may result in unnecessary negative effects.
“Responses that are anchored in fear, misinformation, racism and xenophobia will not save us from outbreaks like COVID-19.” That’s from a joint statement made by 16 health law scholars from the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Switzerland, Chile and Italy in a commentary published on The Lancet.
They called on countries to start by rolling back illegal travel restrictions that have already been implemented and by supporting WHO and each other in implementing the IHR.
Such voice show respect for the international laws and are conducive to safeguarding global common interests.
Scientific research and practices indicated that taking extreme restrictions such as halting flights cannot really reduce the risk of virus spread.
Canceling flights, cruises and locking down borders when it’s not advised by international agencies will be not only an act of economic self-harm but also a wasted opportunity to learn from the mistakes of the past, said an article published by American media.
In the era of globalization, the world needs to conform to the trend of the times and jointly shoulder responsibilities and cope with challenges. Since the outbreak of the epidemic, national leaders of Thailand, Cambodia, Pakistan, and Canada have made it clear that they won’t ban entry of Chinese nationals.
French President Emmanuel Macron said that France respects the professional guidelines proposed by the WHO in responding to the COVID-19 epidemic, and its response to the outbreak is generally objective, adding that the French Consulate General in Wuhan is still operating.
Canadian Health Minister Patty Hajdu believes that it lacks basis and is unreasonable to ban entry of Chinese nationals. Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said imposing a travel ban on Chinese citizens won’t help the government’s fight against coronavirus.
Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen visited Beijing amid the raging epidemic, showing support from the Cambodian government and the Cambodian people. Kang Seung Seok, the new consul general of the Republic of Korea (ROK) in Wuhan, arrived in the city amid the epidemic on Feb. 20.
These facts prove that the strong and resilient relations between China and these countries are unbreakable and cannot be destroyed by certain countries.
In the era of globalization, the interests and destinies of countries are intertwined. To respond to the epidemic is by no means to stop all socio-economic activities. The right choice is to try to ensure normal economic activities on the premise of strengthening health and safety protection.
However, excessive or even extreme restrictive measures adopted by some countries, such as cancelling flights, will only lead to more negative impacts of the epidemic, causing lose-lose results and casting a shadow on world economic growth.
According to U.S. media reports, Washington’s comprehensive restrictions will severely hurt U.S. companies that rely on Chinese products or target Chinese customers. Goldman Sachs recently released a report anticipating a 0.4 percentage point slowdown of U.S. annualized growth in the first quarter due to the coronavirus outbreak, as the U.S. restrictions will reduce the number of Chinese tourists by 28 percent and their spending by $5.8 billion.
When speaking with U.S. President Donald Trump over phone, Chinese President Xi Jinping noted that it takes joint efforts from all countries to bring the epidemics under control. He also said China hopes that the U.S. will assess the epidemic in a calm manner, and adopt and adjust its response.
In response to public health emergencies, panic, chaos, and excessive restrictions are not suggested. In the era of globalization, adopting beggar-thy-neighbor and selfish practices is not able to keep oneself unharmed. The right practice is to strengthen international cooperation and work together to cope with challenges in a scientific, rational and responsible manner.
Those who treat their neighbors as threats and plunder a burning house will hurt not only the interests of the world, but also those of their own.
(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy.)
February 24, 2020
U.S. fallacies on China will never sell
By Zhong Sheng
Senior officials of the U.S. once again attacked China’s political system, as well as the country’s domestic and foreign policies, at the recent 56th Munich Security Conference (MSC).
Such lies reflected their political prejudices against China, and fully exposed their paranoia and hypocrisy. The unnerving silence at the conference hall after they finished their speeches was sarcastic, while the refutation made by other attendants during the Q&A session well explained with whom justice stands.
At the MSC, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi made hypes on China’s tech firm Huawei and 5G technology, comparing normal technology cooperation between enterprises to export of social system, which revealed her insanity in oppressing Chinese enterprises.
What’s absurd is that her remarks suit perfectly the practices of her own country. The U.S. PRISM surveillance scandal is known throughout the world. In this program the U.S. government tracked nearly 5 billion phone calls around the world on a daily basis, and monitored the phones of national leaders for more than 10 years. Recently, the country was once again reported to have long controlled foreign companies and stole 120 countries’ confidential information.
Of course, no one is going to buy such groundless rhetoric made by the U.S. – a “hacker” who can barely conceal its hypocrisy and anxiety, and is tripped by its own practices.
The European Union, the UK and Germany made it clear that they will not rule out certain companies on 5G construction, and UK officials said bluntly that the U.S. failed to offer solid evidence.
It indicates the long-lasting disreputation of the U.S. on cyber security. The improper remarks made by the country will never be supported no matter how hard it tries to sell them.
At the MSC, U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo put on a ridiculous “duet”, with one fanning up the “China threat” and the other preaching “the West is winning”. On the one hand, they made the nonsense that China’s admission to the WTO was a benefit offered by the U.S.; on the other hand, they claimed that China is interfering with U.S. internal affairs. They told the meeting that the U.S. does not seek conflict with China, but later spared no effort to start provocation. These self-contradictory remarks were ridiculous, and only revealed the ugliness of arrogant hegemonism.
What effects has this “show” achieved? According to American political opinion website The Politico, both Esper and Pompeo’s remarks to smear China at the MSC were not recognized by most of the European Union countries. Such situation tells that the calculations of these American politicians will never defeat justice.
Equity and justice shall never be absent from this world, and there will always be voices safeguarding them.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier criticized the U.S. administration at the MSC for rejecting “even the idea of an international community.” French President Emmanuel Macron put it clear that Europe has different expectations with the U.S.
“But even the conference host, Wolfgang Ischinger, a veteran German diplomat, couldn’t help but push back against the American torrent,” said an article on the website of U.S. magazine Foreign Policy. The American Conservative noted that “As we look back on the record of how the U.S. and our allies have behaved over the last 30 years, respect for other nations’ sovereignty is not what we see.”
Every country enjoys the right to independently develop, and its people enjoy the freedom to pursue a happy life. China’s development goes with global peace and justice, and is a natural step of the history that no force is able to stop. The by-hook-or-by-crook practices of the U.S. will only present China’s rapid development in a clearer image.
More and more members of the international society are expressing discontent with the improper remarks and practices of the U.S. High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell noted that the recent criticisms and accusations against China from individual countries are out of jealousy for China’s development success.
Cold War mentality and zero-sum games, as well as the outdated political prejudices and lies cause nothing but damage. The U.S. politicians will finally realize, in a desolate manner, that what goes against history will never make history, and the world will not join them in reversing the history.
Just as what the Munich Security Report 2020 points out, some of the world’s most important challenges cannot be solved by the West alone, and dealing with the implications of this new era will require cooperation with countries of different social systems.
There’s no doubt that the international society welcomes China’s development, and expects countries of different social systems to coexist peacefully and cooperate for win-win results. In the face of the increasingly complex security and development challenges, countries must seek common ground while shelving differences and take concrete actions to build a community with a shared future for mankind.
(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy.)
February 22, 2020
Plain citizens leave touching stories of fighting epidemic
By People’s Daily
The fight against the novel coronavirus involves everyone.
When medical personnel and community staff are working day and night on the front line to eliminate the virus, millions of plain citizens are also contributing their own efforts to the combat in which loss is never allowed.
Zhao Yong, Party chief of Longzhu village in Wenchuan county, southwest China’s Sichuan province, is one of the many who contributed power to the fight against the epidemic.
On Feb. 5, the 40-year-old man arrived in Wuhan, the epicenter, after a long ride by truck together with 12 fellow villagers, with 100 tons of vegetables to be donated to major hospitals in the city.
Zhao told People’s Daily that the donation was in reward for the assistance his hometown Wenchuan received from across the country after it was hit by the 8.0-magnitude earthquake in 2008.
When they were unloading the vegetables at the Second Hospital of Wuhan Iron and Steel Corporation, the last station of their trip, some cabbages rolled off a truck. Seeing this, the tough guy almost burst into tears, as these vegetables were the best ones they picked, and they had prepared for days before going to Wuhan.
Wakanda is a coffeehouse in Wuhan which could have suspended business due to the epidemic, but the shop is still operating, as some medical personnel from the Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine are its loyal customers. The employees of the coffeehouse decided to keep operating amid the epidemic, so that the medics can enjoy the coffee after a tiring day of fighting against the virus.
Iranian Sina Karami is among the baristas at the coffeehouse serving drinks for the medics. He had twice received notices from the Embassy of Iran in China that said his country had dispatched charter flights to take Iranians home. His colleagues also tried to persuade him to go home for safety concerns. However, the Iranian insisted on staying in Wuhan, saying he wanted to make coffee with his colleagues for the “angels in white”.
On Feb.12, Yuan Chuanwei, an executive of a precision machinery company in Xiangcheng district, Suzhou, east China’s Jiangsu province, sent a batch of disinfection equipment to Hubei. It was the second order the man received from one of his customers two weeks ago.
The order was completed by Yuan alone as all the five workers were not able to come back due to transportation regulation during the epidemic. For the past two weeks, he had lived and worked non-stop in the workshop, and could rest only when the machine was on automatic operation. “The past two weeks was tiring, but it was better than seeing lives taken by the epidemic,” Yuan said.
On the night of Feb. 16, Jiang Xiangbei had a video call with her wife who had just got off work from a tiring day in Taoyuan community, Jiang’an district of Wuhan. Zhang’s 16-month-old son was babbling on the call.
Zhang’s wife, who works for Hubei Airports Group Company Co., Ltd., had just been transferred to the community a week ago to join the latter’s efforts to fight the epidemic. As the woman lives in quarantined staff quarter, Zhang must shoulder the responsibility to taking care of the child alone.
“Although we raise the baby together, this time I’m on my own,” said Zhang, disclosing that he is now getting better and better at “baby-sitting”.
“Now I can change his diaper in just 20 seconds, and I even figured out how to quickly put him into sleep,” Zhang noted.
After the Spring Festival holiday, Zhang started working from home, which means the man has to handle his work and take care of his son at the same time.
“Now I know better what family is after experiencing the hard time. The epidemic will be over, and we must show up powerfully in our lives,” said Zhang, who is feeling happiness in the busy days.
February 22, 2020
Battle against epidemic tests human civilization
By He Yin
The sudden outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic has triggered a war for the world to safeguard its shared destiny. The international community is battling to eliminate the virus, and also protecting human civilization.
It’s been recognized that the epidemic is not only a test for human beings’ ability in science and health protection, but also one for human civilization – whether it is strong enough to shelter everyone in the world at this critical moment.
The world must accept unimaginable challenges and step over numerous obstacles to defeat a virus about which human knows little. It calls for unremitted efforts to find cures, but obviously, to refute fallacies and establish rationality amid panic is also urgent.
It’s alarming that misinformation is being widely spread; conspiracy theories are polluting social media; and discrimination are targeting at Asians.
To indulge panic and discrimination amid the epidemic, or to illuminate the light of human civilization for mutual respect, equality, openness and inclusiveness – that is a choice concerning the destiny that all humans share. Obviously, the answer is clear.
The United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organization (WHO) called for solidarity, rather than stigma; national leaders urged calmness and opposed exclusiveness; people around the world also voiced their support for the Chinese. Such warm practices by the international society are glowing with humanity.
What the world is doing today well explains the Chinese saying that delicious soup is made by combining different ingredients, and the secret for close relations lies in mutual support.
It’s easy to clarify and break down individual rumors, conspiracy theories, and discriminatory remarks and practices surrounding the epidemic. After all, fallacies are vulnerable in front of scientific verification; all conspiracy theories have prominent flaws; and all discriminatory practices are intolerable by human civilization.
However, it is not an easy task to eliminate those, and that’s why it’s very important for the world and society to encourage the spirit of science and civilization when global civilizations are facing severe challenges surrounding the epidemic.
Governments, international organizations, social institutions and public figures should all play a positive role in this regard.
The wise will never be fooled. The key to cut down the spread of false and harmful information is to expand dissemination of scientific and effective information.
While responding to the epidemic, the Chinese government has established an authoritative mechanism to releases information at different levels and high frequency, which has effectively stabilized public sentiment and shared epidemic information with the world. It has won worldwide recognition.
The WHO said that China released information about the epidemic in a timely manner, quickly identified the coronavirus and shared the genome sequence of the virus with openness and transparency. The country has taken decisive, forceful and effective measures to control the spread of the virus, acting in a highly responsible manner for the lives and health of the Chinese people, and greatly supporting global public health security, the organization added.
The responsible practices of China have minimized panic and discrimination, reflecting the spirit of human civilization.
Every country and individual must respond to the test of civilization in the epidemic, and the victory belongs to human beings and human civilization.
“We have a choice. Can we come together to face a common and dangerous enemy? Or will we allow fear, suspicion and irrationality to distract and divide us?” The question raised by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the 56th Munich Security Conference is worth pondering.
Civilizations shall defeat the unknown and fear with science and rationality, and treat each other in the spirit of mutual respect, equality, openness and inclusiveness, which is the significance of building a community with a shared future for mankind.
February 22, 2020
To cope with global challenges with multilateralism, cooperation
By He Yin
The sudden outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia is a reminder for the world that we are living in a time when traditional security intertwines with non-traditional security and when regional and global issues interconvert. The human beings are seeing increasing interdependence and their destinies are gradually becoming one.
The Munich Security Conference held from Feb. 14 to 16 also indicated such point as the meeting paid close attention to global public health security and the novel coronavirus epidemic.
At the conference, China introduced its concerted efforts and achievements in combating the epidemic, and received wide praise from the attendants. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also recognized the encouraging steps China has taken to contain the outbreak at its source, and once again called for solidarity from the international society.
In this silent “war” where no bullet is used, the entire world has become a whole and a community with a shared future.
China’s most comprehensive, strict and thorough measures to combat the epidemic represent the largest contribution to global epidemic prevention and control. Thanks to the country’s speed and efficiency which play a vital role in the battle against the virus, and its active engagement in global cooperation, the confirmed cases outside the country only account for less than 1 percent of the total.
“I have given credit where it’s due, and I will continue to do that.” Tedros’ remarks echo the common aspiration of the international society, as China, which is combating the virus on the frontline, totally deserves such compliments.
By supporting China, global countries are supporting their own and the epidemic prevention and control of the world.
China is not lonely, because people across the world are standing closely with the Chinese people in the hardest days of the battle. Leaders from more than 160 countries and international organizations sent messages of sympathy to China to express strong support for the country, and people from many countries also took active actions to donate money and materials to encourage China.
An Indonesian policeman recently sang the song “Jiayou, Wuhan” (Stay strong, Wuhan) on social media to show love; children from a primary school in Northern Ireland joined together to perform a Chinese song, Let the World be Full of Love, for people in China suffering from the coronavirus outbreak; and Sri Lankans prayed for China’s victory against the novel coronavirus epidemic. To show the power of solidarity in the epidemic is the choice made by the people across the world.
A profound lesson has been taught by the epidemic to the world. At the Munich Security Conference, the debate over “Westlessness,” which refers to the loss of common standing of what it means to be part of the West, reflected an insufficient sense of security.
The world should figure out what security is and how it can be achieved. Common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustained security is what the world needs, as no country in this planet is able to avoid global challenges or deal with them alone.
Countries must stop dividing the world into the east and the west, fill the economic gap between the north and the south, take the planet on which human beings rely as a community with shared lives, and perceive the international society as a family, so as to build a community with a shared future for mankind.
Only by joining hands and working together can the world overcome the global public health challenge. It is a moment that demonstrates the power of multilateralism and international cooperation. The Group of 77 and the United Nations voiced support for China’s efforts to combat the epidemic, followed by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the BRICS countries, ASEAN and the African Union.
Fifteen members of the Economic Community of West African States convened an emergency meeting of health ministers to coordinate efforts and cope with the novel coronavirus outbreak. A special China-ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting on the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak will also be held in Laos, which marks another important meeting between China and ASEAN on public health cooperation after the special leaders meeting on the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak they held in 2003.
Building multilateralism to jointly protect the health and security of people around the world has become a choice for more and more countries and regions.
In the era of globalization, countries are sharing challenges, responsibilities and destiny. To practice multilateralism and cope with global challenges with cooperation conforms to the general trend of time and the common aspiration of the people.
February 19, 2020