Solidarity Means Success

In late January when the Chinese people were about to celebrate the 2020 Spring Festival, the most important traditional festival for all Chinese people worldwide, bad news came in the form of the novel coronavirus. The virus, which emerged in December last year in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei Province, spread quickly among people, causing a deadly disease named later by the World Health Organization (WHO) as COVID-19. Overnight, people in China were seen with protective masks outside, while most remained indoors.

But masks cannot cover up people’s strong determination of fighting against the epidemic. China immediately launched its emergency response system and reported the outbreak to the WHO and the global community. On January 25, the day of the Spring Festival, Chinese President Xi Jinping presided over an important meeting to deploy and mobilize a nationwide campaign.

Resources were quickly mobilized to prevent the epidemic from spreading in China and globally. As of February 13, more than 21,000 medical workers have been mobilized to fight the virus in Hubei. Along with the medical teams, all the necessary medical materials and supplies were transported to the province daily.

Facing the rapid increase in the number of virus patients in Wuhan, more hospitals were needed to quarantine and treat them. Within only 10 days, Huoshenshan Hospital, covering a construction area of 33,900 square meters with 1,000 beds, was completed from design to construction. Leishenshan Hospital, another specialized hospital for COVID-19 patients with 1,600 beds, also came into service on February 8.

Solidarity can be seen not only within China, but also in the global community. China has not been alone in its hour of need, with many countries offering a helping hand.

In a communiqué issued by the 36th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa on February 7, ministers of foreign affairs of the AU members expressed their solidarity with the government and people of China in their efforts to counter the spread of the new virus and to cope with its health and social ramifications.

Sources from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed that as of February 14, African countries such as Algeria, Ghana and Egypt have donated medical materials to China for epidemic prevention and control. In addition, Kenya and the Republic of the Congo also announced donations of medical supplies.

The age old saying, a friend in need is a friend indeed, is profoundly true in this scenario. In the joint effort to fight a common enemy of all human beings, the friendship between China and various countries will be further strengthened. In the global village in which we live, the fates of all countries are closely connected. We do believe that with the joint efforts of all the people, the day of victory over the virus is not far away. CA