Chronicle of an Epic War White paper details China’s fight against COVID-19 and calls for global solidarity and cooperation
On June 7, the State Council Information Office issued a white paper on China’s battle against COVID-19. Titled Fighting COVID19: China in Action, the white paper gives a detailed, chronological account of the government and the people’s efforts to contain the epidemic.
A hard-fought battle
COVID-19 has spread faster and wider than any other illness since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the white paper says. “Facing this unknown, unexpected, and devastating disease, China has launched a resolute battle to prevent and control its spread,” it states.
Making people’s lives and health its top priority, China has succeeded in putting the epidemic under control. According to the white paper, the spread of the virus was contained in a little more than a month; in around two months, the daily increase in domestic cases had fallen to single digits; and in approximately three months, a decisive victory was secured in the battle to defend Hubei Province and its capital city of Wuhan.
This achievement did not come easily for a country with a population of 1.4 billion.
The white paper divides China’s fight against the coronavirus into five stages. In the first stage from December 27, 2019, to January 19, swift actions were taken immediately after cases of pneumonia of unknown cause were identified in Wuhan. Etiological and epidemiological investigations were undertaken to stop the spread of the disease, and the epidemic situation was promptly reported. The country then launched a nationwide program of epidemic prevention and control.
The second stage, from January 20 to February 20, was the most pressing stage in China’s COVID-19 response, with rapid increase in newly confirmed cases. The government took a crucial step to stem the spread of the virus, closing outbound traffic from Wuhan. It marked the beginning of an all-out battle to protect Wuhan and Hubei.
This period saw initial progress in curbing the spread of the virus, as emergency response mechanisms were set up and resources from the entire country were mobilized to assist Hubei and Wuhan. Protocols on the diagnosis and treatment, as well as the prevention and control of COVID-19 were issued, and were constantly updated.
These coordinated efforts saw marked results during the second stage. According to the white paper, on February 19, newly recovered and discharged patients in Wuhan outnumbered newly confirmed cases for the first time since the outbreak began.
During the third stage that lasted from February 21 to March 17, the rapid spread of the virus had been contained, both in Wuhan and in the rest of Hubei, and the situation in other parts of the Chinese mainland began to stabilize. Since mid-march, the daily number of new cases across the country remained in single digits. At a national level, the epidemic peak had passed, with the steady decline in new cases indicating the epidemic was under control.
The fourth stage, from March 18 to April 28, witnessed an initial victory in the nationwide battle against the coronavirus. Restrictions on outbound traffic from Wuhan and Hubei were lifted, and all COVID-19 patients in Wuhan hospitals were discharged on April 26.
However, sporadic cases continued to emerge and additional infections were caused by inbound arrivals carrying the virus. China adopted a targeted approach to prevent the virus from entering the country and prevent its domestic resurgence.
At a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, warned against any relaxation of efforts to stop inbound cases or forestall domestic resurgence of cases, saying control at land and sea points of entry should be tightened to minimize domestic cases caused by inbound arrivals carrying the virus.
Since April 29, the national endeavor has entered its fifth stage. Positive momentum in COVID-19 control has been established, and nationwide virus control is now being conducted on an ongoing basis.
People first
Preventing and controlling the spread of the virus has become a fight that will shape the future of the human race. The white paper conveys China’s hope that all countries make choices that prioritize the shared interests of humanity and the wellbeing of our future generations.
In the face of the virus, China has put the interests of its people first. “Nothing is more precious than people’s lives,” the white paper states.
Medical workers employed proactive, science-based, and flexible methods of treatment and did everything possible to treat every patient.
One example featured in the white paper was that of a 70-year-old patient who was saved by more than 10 medical workers over a period of several weeks, at the cost of nearly 1.5 million yuan ($212,400), which was fully covered by the government.
In addition, Chinese citizens overseas also received care. Medical expert teams and work groups were dispatched overseas
and telemedicine service platforms were established, providing scientific and professional guidance on COVID-19 prevention and control for Chinese citizens in other countries.
Chinese embassies and consulates abroad disseminated information on COVID-19 prevention and self-protection through all channels, and have provided more than 1 million health kits to overseas Chinese students.
In an editorial, Sustaining Containment of COVID-19 in China, The Lancet stated: “China’s success has come with huge social and economic costs, and China must make difficult decisions to achieve an optimal balance between health and economic protection.”
Global community of health
Preventing and controlling the spread of the virus has become a fight that will shape the future of the human race. The white paper conveys China’s hope that all countries make choices that prioritize the shared interests of humanity and the wellbeing of our future generations.
In upholding the vision of a global community and shared future, countries should support each other and join hands to contain the spread of the virus, and protect the health and wellbeing of people across the globe.
China has been carrying out exchanges and cooperation with the international community from the outset. The CPC has issued a joint appeal with 240 political parties in more than 110 countries, calling on all stakeholders to put people’s lives and health first, uphold the vision of a global community of shared future, and pull together to combat the virus.
China has not only shared information and experience on virus prevention and control with the international community, but also provided humanitarian assistance, medical aid and protective materials to other countries.
Xi has promoted international cooperation and put forward a series of major measures that China would take in supporting the global fight, including $2 billion of international assistance over two years, which he announced at the opening of the 73rd World Health Assembly on May 18.
In the meantime, China has received support and assistance from the international community in the form of emergency medical supplies, donations and loans.
The Chinese nation never forgets the help and generosity it receives, and always reciprocates with the same goodwill, the white paper reiterates.
As the coronavirus continues to spread and causes devastation across the globe, both the fight to rein in the virus and the endeavor to fend off a deepening global recession call for the international community to stand in unity and engage in cooperation.
China calls on all countries to act promptly, demonstrate solidarity, strengthen cooperation on all fronts, and fight the pandemic together. The white paper states, “Solidarity and cooperation are the most powerful weapons available to the international community in the war against the pandemic. What we do today determines how we will fare in the future.” CA
The Civil Code of China, anticipated for decades, finally came to life and was adopted at the Third Session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC), top legislature of the country, on May 28. The Civil Code will take effect on January 1, 2021.
Jin Ping, a 98-year-old retired law professor of Southwest University of Political Science and Law in Chongqing in southwest China, said he was “overjoyed” at the news in an interview with Xinhua News Agency, adding that it was a “blessing” for him to see his lifelong goal come to fruition.
A long process
Formulating a Chinese civil code has been a long cherished wish of generations of civil law scholars over the past few decades.
Sun Xianzhong, a research fellow at the Law Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and a deputy to both the 12th and 13th NPC, was an arduous promoter of such a code.
“The current civil law system is a patchwork of fragmented legislation,” he told China Youth Daily. Since 1980, China has successively promulgated a series of separate laws including the Marriage Law, the Adoption Law, the Contracts Law and the Property Law, which for a long time have served as the basis for judicial practice in civil cases.
The General Principles of the Civil Law, enacted in 1986 as the foundation for the civil law system, could hardly meet the demand of the society today, Sun explained. Some articles in the General Principles even contradict other laws.
“There are gaps and inconsistencies among the separate laws,” Sun said. “To set up an overarching framework for civil rights to refine the country’s basic legal system had become an urgent issue for the Chinese law-making community.”
In 2013, the first year he served as an NPC deputy, Sun took the lead and submitted a proposal for compiling a civil code. In 2014, he submitted the same proposal. In that year, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee called for progress in drafting a unified civil code.
After that, a two-step strategy was adopted. The NPC would first enact the
General Provisions of the Civil Law, which would be followed by a review of each section of the Civil Code by the NPC Standing Committee. Finally, the General Provisions would be combined with the drafts of individual sections to form a draft civil code, which would be submitted to the NPC for final deliberation. In March 2015, the NPC Standing Committee set up a special work group for the drafting. In June 2016, it deliberated on the first draft of the General Provisions of the Civil Law, and on March 15, 2017, the General Provisions was passed at the annual NPC session, marking a milestone in the progress toward a fullfledged civil code.
In April 2017, compilation of six specific sections of the Civil Code was launched, and in late 2019, the complete draft made its debut after the General Provisions was combined with the six draft sections and opened to the public for opinions.
Zhang Yesui, spokesperson for this year’s NPC session, said on May 21 that in the Civil Code’s compiling process, the NPC collected 10 rounds of public opinions online and received over 1 million pieces of advice and suggestions from some 425,000 people. In addition, legislators went to many areas nationwide to investigate key issues.
Wang Liming, a law professor and Vice President of Renmin University of China (RUC), told Chinafrica that the legislators listened intently to the opinions of all parties and improved relevant rules in a timely manner. The draft Civil Code submitted to the NPC for deliberation had been changed based on various opinions.
In February, Chen Haiyi, an NPC deputy and chief judge at the Juvenile Criminal Tribunal of the Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court in Guangdong Province in south China, submitted a suggestion to the NPC Standing Committee on improving regulations on guardianship as some children couldn’t get proper care while their parents were quarantined because of the novel coronavirus epidemic prevention and control. To her delight, Chen found that the draft Civil Code had specific provisions concerning new problems such as emergency situations like epidemic prevention and control, a response to her suggestion.
On May 28, one day before Jin’s birthday, the draft Civil Code was adopted by the NPC. “It is a landmark achievement in China’s law-making history,” Jin said. “I’d like to regard it as my best ever birthday gift.”
Full protection
As the first legislative package called a “code” since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the Civil Code consists of 1,260 articles in seven volumes, including almost every aspect related to people’s lives.
“The Civil Code protects people’s rights to the fullest,” Sun told Chinafrica. “It lays an important legal and institutional foundation for the modernization of the country’s governance system and capacity.”
“It comes at a time when Chinese society is experiencing a major transformation in its development,” Li Shenglong, Vice President of Chongqing No.1 Intermediate People’s Court, told China Today. “Some of the code’s articles concerning environmental protection the aging population are noteworthy.”
“One of the highlights in the Civil Code is the section dedicated to personality rights,” Wang told Chinafrica. “This will undoubtedly increase the protection of ordinary Chinese people’s rights.”
The term “dignity of life” has been introduced in this section. Yang Lixin, a law professor at RUC, defined it as the dignity of birth, life and death. With this provision, a person can choose to refuse or accept hospice care or hospital treatment.
The term “peace of private life” grants people protection from illegal intrusion through activities such as peeping, eavesdropping and spam emails. Data collectors have a duty to protect an individual’s personal information and cannot obtain, disclose or conduct transactions of this data without individual consent.
The code also responds to issues arising from the development of hi-tech and life sciences. Natural persons’ voice is protected by the code as a right of personality. “With the development of artificial intelligence,
The Civil Code consists of 1,260 articles in seven volumes, including almost every aspect related to people’s lives.
natural persons’ voice is more widely used on more occasions,” Fang Yan, principal partner of the Beijing law firm JT&N and an NPC deputy, said. “The Civil Code has adapted to the fast development of science and technology.”
In the marriage law section, a cooling-off period of 30 days for couples wanting to divorce has drawn wide attention. Couples who file for divorce by agreement must wait 30 days to reconsider their decision. If they change their mind, they can withdraw their divorce application within the 30 days, and after the waiting period, those who still want to divorce will receive their official documents. Cases of domestic violence or divorce lawsuits are exempted from the cooling-off period.
The new code also leaves some issues unresolved for legal professionals to continue working on. Shi Jiayou, a law professor at RUC, gave an example concerning the protection of personal information. For parties that have the right to collect personal data, the code fails to regulate how long they can keep the information and under what circumstances they must delete the data.
“Some scholars say the Civil Code will provide a universal tool for judicial organs to settle civil disputes,” Qiao Xinsheng, a professor of law at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law in Guangzhou, told China Daily. “But the complexity of civil relations and the emergence of new problems due to social changes require judicial organs to understand deeply the basic spirit of the Civil Code, combine Chinese traditions and culture with the moral and ethical standards of modern society and fully comprehend the specific legal norms of the Civil Code.”
Jin, a nonagenarian, said that the Civil Code still needs to be further improved and updated so that it can serve the people better.
On May 28, right after the Civil Code was adopted at the NPC, a team was set up at Southwest University of Political Science and Law to popularize it in schools, communities and rural areas.
“It’s no easy task to formulate a good law, and it’s even more important to make sure it is understood by the public and enforced effectively,” Jin said. CA