Going all out and Working Together to Respond to the COVID-19 Outbreak
-- China's continuous contributions to combating the epidemic outbreak across the world

Tian Xiaohang,Xinhua News Agency

"Over the past two months, the Chinese people have worked together and combated the epidemic outbreak in unity, have won valuable time and made important contributions to the world's efforts to control the epidemic outbreak." Geng Shuang, a spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular press conference held on the March 23.

Looking back on the arduous struggle against the epidemic for over two months,China has gone all out to take the most resolute,effective, strict and comprehensive prevention and control measures. China has rapidly developed virus nucleic acid detection kits and continuously distributed them to Hubei Medical Institutions; announced the closure of the channel leaving Wuhan on January 23; timely released and updated diagnosis and control programs; sent more than 40,000 medical staff from across the country to help Hubei;allocated financial funds for many times to support the anti-epidemic efforts, and quickly provided medical and living materials to ensure the supply; completed the Huoshenshan hospital and Leishenshan hospital in only ten days, and converted several shelter hospitals in emergency … The "Chinese speed" makes the world surprised, and the determination and feat of Chinese medical staff to do their best to treat every patient are impressive.

While fighting the epidemic outbreak domestically, China, always in an open,transparent and responsible manner, has timely communicated with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the international community,sharing information and conducting international cooperation. From January 3rd, China regularly reported the COVID-19 outbreak to the WHO and various countries. On January 12th, the WHO announced that it had received the novel coronavirus gene sequence information provided by China. On January 21st, China announced the new primers and probe sequences for the detection of novel coronavirus DNA. …A series of initiatives are highly valued and generally praised by the international community.

After the joint expert team organized by the WHO and China conducted a field visit in China and concluded that China's prevention and control measures are comprehensive, solid and effective. China's efforts have won precious time for the world and provided reference for other countries. Bruce Aylward, a senior adviser to the WHO director general,said China has taken strong measures to avoid hundreds of thousands of possible infections.U.N. Secretary General Guterres also pointes out that the Chinese people have made great sacrifices to prevent and control the epidemic,and they are making contributions to the whole mankind.

The COVID-19 outbreak occurred in many cities worldwide and showed spreading posture in the world just as the situation of China's epidemic prevention and control situation turned better positively. The latest epidemic cases diagnosed outside China exceeded 290,000 cases, according to the latest data released by the WHO on March 24th. At the time of crisis, China timely released the"China plan" and "China experience" of epidemic prevention and control. The epidemic related telephone conferences or meetings of expert video exchanges with EU, ASEAN,African countries, some European countries and ROK have been held in China since the epidemic outbreak. An On line International Panel on Sharing China experience on epidemic prevention and treatment was held on March 12th by China National Health Commission and the WHO, briefing on prevention experience and cases treatment in China, deepening understanding of the latest version of the prevention and control programs and clinical treatment plans, and answering questions from the Embassies in China.

"China's prevention and control strategies,methods, technologies, standards and cases have undergone practical tests,and is willing to share them with the international community to help maintain global health safety, said Ma Xiaowei, director of the National Health Commission.

The Chinese medical experts who have just finished the "hard battle" have spared no time for rest, and immediately joined in a wider range of the war against the epidemic outbreak.

In Iran and Iraq, Chinese experts visit government agencies, communities, hospitals and enterprises to gather and understand the epidemic situation, introduce prevention and control experience and knowledge; in Serbia,the anti-epidemic medical expert teams sent by China will go to other cities with epidemic outbreak after exchanging with Serbian experts in emergency treatment and infectious diseases;Italy with severe epidemic outbreak situation will soon welcome the third batch of China anti-epidemic medical experts including traditional Chinese medicine experts.

China has also donated a large amount of medical materials to many countries. Geng Shuang said that the Chinese Government has announced that it provides assistance to 82 countries, WHO and the African Union,including testing kits, masks, protective clothing, etc., many of which is delivered to recipients. Local governments, enterprises and non-governmental organizations are also making donations to the countries concerned.

China will never forget the political support and material assistance for China provided by the international community as it was hit hard by the COVID-19 outbreak, Geng Shuang said.

At the same time, China is working with relevant countries and regions to strengthen port control, strengthen coordinate actions and information sharing among health, quarantine,customs, immigration and other departments,and strengthen joint international prevention and control. Public health safety is a common challenge facing mankind, which needs to be addressed by all countries working together.At the moment, there is not yet effective medicine for the virus patients, so international cooperation in drug research and development is particularly important. "We should actively carry out multi-national and multi-center clinical trials based on China's previous drug douse experience to further verify effectiveness of the drug," which is also important for treatment of the infected patients and development of related subjects, said Ding Sheng, director of the Global Health Drug Research And Development Center.

China will further strengthen communication and exchange with WHO,carry out scientific research and share scientific research data and information with relevant countries, especially countries hit hard by epidemic outbreak, in areas of traceability,drugs, vaccines, testing, etc., and contribute China's wisdom and strength to the final victory of global anti-epidemic efforts, said Zhang Xinmin, Director of the Biotechnology Development Center of the Ministry of Science and Technology, recently at the press conference of the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council.