Joining Hands to Fight the Epidemic

By HOU YUXIANG & WU SIKE

RECENTLY， the novel coronavirus （COVID- 19） epidemic continues to spread and wreak havoc in many countries， causing great concern worldwide， and leading to many countries and regions declaring a state of emergency. It first broke out in the city of Wuhan and has since raged across China. Where is the source of this disease？ Scientists are still exploring， but that the virus is the common enemy of mankind， a security threat facing all humanity， is a general consensus. The World Health Organization （WHO）， after declaring the outbreak “a public health emergency of international concern” at the end of January this year， upgraded the global risk several times to “very high，” its top level of risk assessment. Facing the threat of the virus， China did its utmost to take effective and transparent measures to contain the virus. Meanwhile， China actively strengthened international cooperation to prevent the epidemic from spreading to other countries in the world， and has been striving to build an epidemic-resistant world community， so that people can gain confidence in winning the war against the pandemic.

Non-Traditional Security Important to Mankinds Future

Since the advent of the new century， non-traditional security issues such as terrorism， climate change， and epidemic prevention and control have been on the rise， exposing the international community to a series of new threats and challenges. Taking global epidemic prevention and control as an example， the Ebola outbreak in West African countries in 2014 and the COVID-19 in 2020 pose serious threats to the lives and well-being of the worlds people.

Global public health issues not only involve human survival and development interests， but also require global attention and joint action to resolve them. This is an era of global interdependence； a public health issue like an outbreak of infectious diseases， whether in a developed or developing country， can have international impacts， and therefore， requires enhanced cooperation between countries to jointly find solutions. Global public health issues are given great importance by the international community because they threaten the safety of all humankind.

Strengthening global public health governance is essential. From the perspective of human security， global public health issues are closely related to human security. Although there are many interpretations and definitions of the human security concept and the elements involved， it is clear that health is the most important aspect of human security. From the perspective of national security， global public health problems will have a negative impact on politics， and the emergence of a public health crisis will lead to the growth of social instability in the region and weaken the capabilities of some countries. From the perspective of national economic development， especially in the context of globalization， public health emergencies will have a certain negative impact on economic development. For instance， the increase in national health expenditure and the tight distribution of medical resources may also lead to the coexistence of poverty and disease. In the meantime， the frequent occurrence of global public health incidents will affect bilateral or multilateral economic and trade exchanges between countries.

With the globalization evolving， the governance of public health issues has also begun to shift from intergovernmental cooperation to global governance. Governance of health issues not only affects peoples livelihood and social and economic development， but is also an important way to realize the common interests of mankind.

Epidemic Prevention and Control， a Collective Responsibility

After the outbreak of the epidemic， the Chinese nation united to wage a peoples war against the virus. With President Xi Jinping making the deployment personally， the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China （CPC） set up a leading group to respond to the epidemic， and initiated the Grade I response to major public health emergencies， the highest level. Many of the measures adopted exceeded the requirements of the International Health Regulations and the recommendations of the WHO. Accordingly China effectively achieved early detection， timely reporting and quarantine， and early treatment， as well as centralized the system dealing with patients， experts， resources， and treatment. Priority was given to reducing the infection rate and death rate while concerted efforts were made to contain the spread of the epidemic. After much hard work， the epidemic has been brought under control.

During the process， Xi Jinping presided over several meetings of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee to delve into the epidemic issues， adjust response policies， and mobilize more resources. He required Party committees and governments at all levels and relevant departments to give priority to peoples safety and health， and focus on the overall strategy to identify and solve problems. “Go all out to treat infected patients，” “have all diagnosed patients admitted to hospitals in a timely manner，” “we must not delay patient treatment due to cost problems”... such instructions of his were specific and pragmatic， reflecting his strong sense of responsibility and concern for the safety and health of the people. In mid-February， Xi visited communities， hospitals， and disease prevention and control centers in Beijing to inspect and guide the prevention and control of the epidemic. He called for firm confidence， strong determination， and more decisive measures to curb the spread of the epidemic. By relying on the people， he said， we will definitely win the peoples war against the epidemic.

As a responsible country， China adopted an open and transparent attitude from the beginning， informing the international community of the epidemic situation in time， carrying out international cooperation， and working hard to prevent the epidemic from spreading globally. Not only has China spared no effort in safeguarding the lives and health of its people， it has also contributed to and made sacrifices for global public health security. Adhering to the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind， China has shared information with the WHO and the international community， actively responded to concerns of all parties， strengthened cooperation with relevant countries and international organizations in medical science and technology and vaccine research and development， and striven to prevent the spread of the epidemic in the world. China has also taken strong measures to ensure the health and safety of foreign personnel in China. All these efforts have been acknowledged by the WHO and the international community， and it is believed that Chinas approach to fighting the epidemic has provided useful experience to other countries struggling to get the virus under control. According to Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres， the Chinese people have made huge sacrifices in the prevention and control of the epidemic and contributed to the betterment of all mankind. He expressed his gratitude to all of the people in China who sacrificed many aspects of their normal lives to prevent the virus from further spreading. The 53rd regular session of the Arab Council of Health Ministers in Cairo in late February also issued a statement， hailing Chinas efforts in dealing with the pandemic， the Chinese open approach in cooperation and transparency over means of combating the virus， as well as Chinas continuous implementation of prevention and control measures in accordance with the guidance of the WHO and International Health Regulations. This statement is a reflection of Arab countries and peoples firm support for and solidarity with the Chinese government and people.

Strengthening International Cooperation to Build Anti-Epidemic Resilience

Non-traditional security issues are a major challenge faced by both global governance and national governance in the new era. Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized in his report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC that a holistic approach to national security must align and synchronize traditional and non-traditional security， improve the national security system， and strengthen national security capacity building.

In terms of global public health governance， China is not only a stakeholder， but also an important provider of global public health products. It ascribes importance to taking on international responsibilities in multilateral mechanisms of global health governance， exerts its due influence in rule-making， and makes efforts to promote the sustainable development of the global health governance process. In general， China has obtained experience from actively participating in global health affairs. Of course， China still has a long way to go to better participate in global health governance， for instance， we should actively respond to the WHOs proposals and reforms， better negotiate and cooperate with governments， international organizations， and non-governmental organizations on health cooperation. We also need to strengthen international cooperation for effectively curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus worldwide， carry out vaccine research and development cooperation， and promote the sharing of information about the epidemic. In order to promote fair access to global public health products， we need to invest in research and development funds in countries with medical technology research and development capabilities， and support their use of technological means to prevent and control those diseases that threaten health， and contribute to the promotion of global health， safety， and development.

As an emerging economy， Chinas development is closely linked to world development. The common interests of China and the world are increasing， and Chinas participation in global health governance is also rising in importance. Therefore， China is actively and intensively participating in global health governance， taking on international responsibilities， giving play to the role of a big country， carrying out international cooperation， and jointly addressing global challenges with the world.

At present， China has to adapt to the global governance mechanism of the new era， and is also well aware of its limited capacity to participate fully. Recognizing the current challenges， it is optimizing its own development model by formulating corresponding security strategies， turning pressure into momentum， and actively promoting the optimization of the global health governance structure. It is also working to seek common development by advocating win-win partnerships， adhering to the global governance concept of extensive consultation， joint contribution and shared benefits， participating more confidently and effectively in the global health governance process， and striving to build an anti-epidemic community together with other countries.

Looking back at history， every major disaster we have experienced has been a battle between the human will and the challenge of survival. It leads people to think how we have understood nature and treated it， therefore rectifying our way forward， and proceed towards better and healthier development. Whether it be the Ebola outbreak in 2014， or the COVID-19 this year， these are all disasters that have arisen in the course of human history. But they will not change the trend of development of human history. Instead， they will unite people of the world more closely to fight every challenge facing them and deepen their understanding of a shared future.