By Zhong Sheng
As China has achieved a major strategic success in its nationwide Covid-19 control efforts, secured economic and social development, and organized an orderly return to normal work and daily life, the world is casting its eyes to the east, searching for the reasons for the progress made by the country and the Communist Party of China (CPC).
A recent white paper titled “Fighting Covid-19: China in Action” released by the country’s State Council Information Office revealed the source of power and the “mighty weapon” of China in its epidemic response: observing the people-centered governance philosophy of the CPC; China’s ability to mobilize resources to accomplish major initiatives; its composite national strength built up during more than four decades of reform and opening up, particularly since the 18th CPC National Congress held in November 2012; remarkable achievements in modernizing governance; two defining values of Chinese culture – solidarity and mutual assistance; and the profound love of the Chinese people for their family and their country.
Lives are precious. That’s a principle that China has always adhered to no matter what difficulties lie ahead, and that’s why China’s practices have deeply touched the world.
The white paper unveiled a series of astonishing figures. Since the virus struck, hospitals in Wuhan designated for treating severe cases have treated more than 9,600 such cases. The recovery rate has risen from 14 percent to 89 percent, higher than the average rate for normal viral pneumonia. To date, more than 3,000 patients over the age of 80, including 7 centenarians, have been cured, with many of them brought back to life from the verge of death. The average cost for treating Covid-19 patients in severe condition surpassed RMB150, 000, and in some critical cases the individual cost exceeded RMB1 million, all covered by the state.
China made its resolute choice to place people’s lives above economic growth, embraced a philosophy that puts life above everything else, saved lives at all costs, and showed care and compassion for Chinese citizens overseas. Facts proved undeniably that the CPC and the Chinese government have always acted with a keen sense of responsibility to humanity and the people.
The sense of responsibility at the critical moment demonstrated that the country respects and holds in awe the dignity and lives of people as individuals, and signified the solidarity and strength of 1.4 billion Chinese.
Waging an all-out people’s war on the virus, China mobilized the people, enhanced R&D, procured supplies, and brought them to those in need rapidly. It made a miracle in mankind’s anti-epidemic history. The 1.4 billion Chinese people shouldered their responsibilities, united as one, and stayed resilient, representing a formidable force.
The Lancet issued statement to support the Chinese scientific, public health and medical workers; Time magazine hailed the remarkable sense of responsibility of Chinese couriers; Forbes also commended the volition of the Chinese people, many of whom had stayed home for over a month.
Alan Macfarlane, a historian and professor emeritus of King’s College, University of Cambridge, believes that China’s success in epidemic response came from solidarity, mutual sympathy, rational planning and responsible practices.
A major crisis is a litmus test of the ruling Party’s governance philosophy and effectiveness. The strong leadership of the CPC has been fundamental to China’s rapid containment of the virus. The CPC has a strong leadership core, a people-oriented governance philosophy, and well-established organization and operation mechanisms. It quickly made the right decisions in response to the crisis. The CPC has more than 4.6 million primary-level organizations, which have served as strongholds against the epidemic, rallying and serving the general public. From January 24, Chinese New Year’s Eve, to March 8, China rallied 346 national medical teams, consisting of 42,600 medical workers and more than 900 public health professionals to the immediate aid of Hubei and the city of Wuhan. Some 4 million community workers are working in around 650,000 urban and rural communities, and 8.81 million registered volunteers across the country had participated in volunteer projects. Besides, more than 39 million CPC members fought the virus at the front line.
Under the CPC leadership, efficient and powerful response measures were implemented. Within a short time, across-the-board crisis-response mechanisms were established down to the community level, motivating all those involved across the country to follow instructions and act as one. To address the shortfall in medical resources while patient numbers surged, China exploited the full strength of its comprehensive and resilient manufacturing sector and its complete industrial chain. The country has striven to minimize their impact on social and economic development, adopted timely policies to ensure the basic livelihood of people in difficulties caused by Covid-19, and rolled out a host of policies to reduce the burdens of businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises and self-employed people.
After weathering the epidemic, the Chinese people have keenly realized that the CPC leadership is the most reliable shelter against storms. The world sees that the CPC is responsible for not only the Chinese people, but also the globe.
“I have never seen in my life this kind of mobilization,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, adding that the high speed and massive scale of China’s pandemic response were rarely seen in the world.
The only way to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic is to defeat it. It’s universally recognized that China’s success lighted the hope that the world will emerge from this dark moment in human history into a brighter future, and boosted confidence for the world to join hands to contain the spread of the virus.
(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy.)
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