Adaptation is the key characteristic of China’s policy against COVID-19, By Cui Jianchun

Compared to natural viruses, we should be more wary of political viruses. As many international health experts point out that the main variants currently circulating in China are the same as those prevalent in other countries, it would not make sense to impose additional restrictions on travelers from China. Political manipulation of the COVID response measures by some countries will only create chaos in the world’s sense of solidarity.

On the eve of the new year, Chinese President XI Jinping, in his 2023 New Year speech, greeted all citizens, as well as friends and people around the world, while saying that, since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has overcome unprecedented difficulties. and challenges. China has entered a new phase of its COVID response, which still faces difficult challenges. Everyone is holding on with great strength, and the light of hope is before us.

After three years of fighting the pandemic, the world is more convinced that the virus is the common enemy of all mankind. To this day, the coronavirus still exists throughout the world, with social, economic and political consequences in various countries, and also with sub-variants, such as Omicron, common in many countries, including China.

From the beginning of its response to the pandemic, China has taken a responsible policy of a science-based and targeted approach, by putting people and their lives first, and by adapting measures dynamically and proactively. It has been proven and widely acknowledged that China’s COVID response policy over the past three years has realized the goal of achieving the best results at the lowest cost.

In the past three years, China has provided the greatest protection to the people. China has done its best to protect the lives and health of 1.4 billion people, and is spending all its resources to treat every patient, regardless of whether they are citizens or foreigners living in the country. China has effectively responded to five global waves of COVID, and avoided widespread infection with the original strain and the Delta variant, which is relatively more pathogenic than the currently circulating variant. Globally, China has the lowest infection and death rates. Despite the pandemic, the average life expectancy in China increased from 77.93 years in 2020 to 78.2 years in 2021.

In the past three years, China has witnessed the stability of its economy as well as its supply chain to the world. One of the main focuses of China’s COVID policy is to reduce the impact of the pandemic on economic and social development. With the joint efforts of all countries, China’s economy has been able to consolidate its resilience and maintain a good foundation, becoming a reliable driving force for global economic growth. The GDP of developing countries grew at an annual average of 4.6% from the third quarter of 2019 to the third quarter of 2022, which is higher than the world average, according to data released by the OECD. In addition, China has also led the world in terms of trade volume, production of goods and energy production, and has kept the inflation rate at a relatively low level. The basic livelihood of Chinese people is guaranteed during the pandemic. In 2022, despite the global food crisis, China achieved a bumper harvest for the 19th year in a row.

In the past three years, China has witnessed large-scale vaccination internally. China’s efficient response policy has bought valuable time for research and development of vaccines and drugs, and increased the vaccination rate of the entire population. As of last December, more than 3.46 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine had been administered in mainland China, with more than 90% of the population fully vaccinated. However, due to the fact that most vaccinations were completed a year ago, it is hard for a large part of the Chinese population to retain a high level of immunity against various mutant strains. Recently, a second booster shot campaign has progressed nationwide, with special attention to the elderly and people with serious health conditions.

In the past three years, China has promoted strong international solidarity. Since the start of COVID-19, China has been actively involved in the international response. China shared the genome sequence of the virus at the earliest opportunity, making important contributions to drug and vaccine research around the world. Competent authorities in China maintain regular communication with the WHO, conduct dialogue with partner countries to exchange technical experience, and share information in a timely, open and transparent manner in accordance with the law, aiming at the early global victory of the pandemic. . Meanwhile, to strengthen global defense, China has provided anti-pandemic materials to 153 countries and 15 international organizations, sent a group of medical experts to 34 countries, and offered more than 2.2 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to more than 120 countries and international organizations.

In the last quarter of 2022, China adapted and refined its response policy, in line with the changed landscape of virus transmission. This shift is science-based, timely and necessary. This fully takes into account the less pathogenic and lethal status of the Omicron variant that is spreading globally, as well as the progress that China’s treatment, testing and vaccination capacity continues to increase, and will concentrate its response from infection to health care. and prevent severe cases.

According to this adaptation, people infected with the coronavirus will no longer be quarantined and close contacts will no longer be traced. In addition, China is a step closer to fully opening to the outside, as domestic and foreign airlines will operate scheduled passenger flights, with flight restrictions no longer including closed management, nucleic acid tests, and quarantine measures.

Countries that adjust their COVID policies will inevitably go through a period of adaptation. China is no exception. However, the current COVID situation in China remains predictable and controllable, as many cities have already experienced the peak. This adaptation from China is also important from a strategic and long-term perspective, to effectively coordinate the COVID response with economic and social development. America, Britain, Germany and other foreign chambers of commerce in China praised the adaptation of this downgrade, which they are observing will clear the way for the resumption of people-to-people and business trips, and increase the confidence of foreign investors in the Chinese market.

Compared to natural viruses, we should be more wary of political viruses. As many international health experts point out that the main variants currently circulating in China are the same as those prevalent in other countries, it would not make sense to impose additional restrictions on travelers from China. Political manipulation of the COVID response measures by some countries will only create chaos in the world’s sense of solidarity. In this regard, we highly commend the Federal Government of Nigeria for its science-based and proportionate COVID response measures, which have been evident since the beginning of its response.

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The glimmer of hope for the final victory of the pandemic is upon us. As President Xi asked in his New Year’s Speech, “let’s make extra efforts, because perseverance and solidarity means victory”.

Cui Jianchun is the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria.