World

China’s successful fight against pandemic gives hope to the world

Sunday, October 11th, 2020 19:16 | By
China's Ambassador to Kenya Zhou Pingjian with Ambassador Monica Juma, Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Defence

Over the past nine months, China has fought a fierce war against the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the leadership of President Xi Jinping and the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the country has effectively curbed the spread of the virus and experienced steady economic and social recovery.

In just over a month, China managed to contain the rapid spread of the virus. In about two months, the daily increase in domestic coronavirus cases fell to single digits. In just about three months, a decisive victory was secured in once the hardest-hit Chinese city of Wuhan. Subsequently, China has effectively contained sporadic outbreaks.

Across the world, China has become the first major economy to return to growth since the COVID-19 pandemic, and has taken the lead in epidemic control, vaccine development and economic recovery. This has highlighted China's great resilience, strong ability of recovery and enormous vitality.

Indeed, as the People’s Republic of China Ambassador to Kenya Zhou Pingjian during a virtual online reception on September 28 marking the 71st anniversary of the republic’s founding, the country is not relenting in her quest to achieve her national goals within the set time frame.

“We have every confidence to achieve our goals… to finish the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, lift out of poverty all rural residents living below the current poverty line, and meet ten years ahead of schedule the poverty eradication target set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”

China has put forward to establish a new development pattern in which domestic and foreign markets can boost each other, with the domestic market as the mainstay of growth. This new pattern is both an inevitable choice as China's economic and social development run into a new stage and an important measure for China to deal with the new changes in the world economy.

As the Chinese market grows bigger and more mature, immeasurable purchasing power will be created, providing wider markets for both China and the world. The new development pattern also requires China to build a more open economic structure, which will bring about more development opportunities globally.

Pingjian noted that China and Kenya share a profound tradition of friendship. In recent years, the two countries have maintained close high-level exchanges.

This fruitful and wide-ranging cooperation stands out in Sino-Africa relations. This example of South-South cooperation and mutual assistance in the fight against COVID-19 represents a prime example of solidarity in the face of insurmountable challenges.

The Ambassador observed that China has always viewed and developed its ties with Kenya from a strategic and long-term perspective. For instance, the partners are working together to advance the Belt and Road cooperation, implementation of the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity against COVID-19.

The two countries are striving for more progress in the China-Kenya comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership so that it can and deliver more benefits to the people of both countries.

“No matter how the international landscape may evolve, China shall never waver in its determination to pursue greater solidarity and cooperation with Kenya,” promised Pingjian.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the United Nations. China was the first to sign on the Charter of the UN. It is the only developing country that takes a permanent seat on the Security Council. Kenya is going to serve on the Security Council for the third time from 2021-2022. Both countries attach great importance to the work of the UN and remain firmly committed to multilateralism.

Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the foregoing in his speech at the General Debate of the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly a couple of weeks ago: "At present, the world is battling the COVID-19 pandemic as it goes through profound changes never seen in a century. Let us join hands to uphold the values of peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom… and build a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind."

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