Put People and Life First
Over the past three years, the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc around the globe and posed enormous challenges to all countries, including China. The Communist Party of China and the Chinese government, putting the people and their lives first, have made every effort to protect the lives, safety and health of the Chinese people. Though China accounts for 18.32% of the world’s population, its total COVID-19 deaths are equivalent to 0.08% of the worldwide total.
Over the past three years, China has effectively responded to five global COVID waves and avoided widespread infections with the original strain and the Delta variant. Life-expectancy in China has increased steadily, with the average lifespan rising from 77.93 years in 2020 to 78.2 years in 2021. China was the only major economy to achieve positive growth in 2020. Its total economic output exceeded 17 trillion US dollars in 2021 and accounted for 18.5% of the world economy.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, China – upholding the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind – has made a significant contribution to protecting global public health. China shared the genome sequence of the COVID-19 virus at the earliest opportunity, making important contributions to the drug and vaccine research and development in countries around the world.
We shared pandemic control and treatment information with over 180 countries and more than 10 international and regional organisations; dispatched 38 medical expert teams to 34 countries; provided hundreds of billions of pandemic control supplies to 153 countries and 15 international organisations; and provided over 2.2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to over 120 countries and international organisations. The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, expressed thanks to China for its important contributions to international cooperation in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, especially with achieving a fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in developing countries.
Adjusting and Optimising COVID-19 policies
In the light of the marked decline of the pathogenicity and virulence in Omicron and the steady rise of China’s capacity for medical treatment, pathogen detection and vaccination, China has refined its COVID-19 response measures – shifting focus from stemming infection to protecting health and preventing severe cases.
According to the recently released Notice on Provisional Measures on Cross-border Travel, starting from January 8, 2023 inbound travellers will no longer conduct nucleic acid testing on arrival, and outbound travel of Chinese citizens will resume in an orderly manner. The purpose is to better coordinate COVID-19 response with economic and social development, and ensure the normalcy of people’s lives and work.
All countries go through a period of adaptation when shifting gears in their COVID-19 policies, and China is no exception. China’s COVID-19 policy adjustment is science-based, timely and necessary. The fight against COVID-19 in the past three years has laid a foundation and created necessary conditions for the latest round of policy adjustment. Relevant Chinese authorities have shared the genome data of the virus from COVID cases in China via the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID).
China will continue to closely monitor mutation of the virus, release epidemic information in a timely, open and transparent manner in accordance with the law, and work with the international community to meet challenges of the epidemic. The overall COVID-19 situation in China is within expectations and under control. We are confident that we will have an accelerated return of normal economic and social life, and secure a complete and final victory against COVID-19.
Reinvigorate the World Economy
China’s latest policy adjustment will create new conditions for stronger international exchanges and cooperation. As the economic recovery gathers steam after China continued to refine COVID-19 policies, China’s adjustment of its strategy has been well-received and supported by the international community. Foreign firms hold optimistic expectations for their performance in the Chinese market in the coming year.
The WHO is pleased to see China loosening some of its COVID-19 restrictions. Foreign business communities in China, including the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, are optimistic about China’s recovery as they see the ability to revive from hurdles is rooted in the nation’s culture. A senior executive of Henkel stated that the continuous optimisation of pandemic control measures in China speaks to China’s commitments to safeguard economic and social development amid the pandemic.
A representative from the China-Britain Business Council said China’s decision to ease border restrictions is extremely welcome. Tourist destinations across the world can’t wait to welcome Chinese tourists as cross-border travel searches soar in China. According to J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s forecast, China’s GDP growth may rebound to over 5 percent in 2023.
China and Ghana fighting COVID together
China attaches great importance to medical and health cooperation with Ghana, and has sent eleven medical expert teams to Ghana – making great contributions in helping Ghana fight against malaria, AIDS, cholera and typhoid. After the COVID -19 outbreak, China sent a chartered flight to deliver medical supplies for Africa via Ghana.
The adjustment of China’s COVID response measures provides new opportunities for closer economic and cultural exchanges between the two countries. We will continue to pull together with Ghana in the trying times, and deepen cooperation with Ghana in the field of medical and health. We are confident that economic, trade and people-to-people exchanges and cooperation will become even closer and robust in the coming days.
The global pandemic is not yet over. China stands ready to make concerted efforts with the rest of the world to fight the pandemic together and protect the health and safety of the people, promote world peace and development, and advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
The writer is the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana
