Zero COVID-19 policy helping nation, world

China's dynamic zero COVID-19 policy is suited to national conditions and benefits the world, Guo Weimin, the spokesman of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said during a briefing on Thursday.

Under the policy, China has swiftly brought new infection clusters under control, while ensuring the stable development of society and the economy, and guaranteeing people's livelihoods, Guo said.

In contrast, some foreign countries have grappled with a continuing onslaught of the virus, leading to overcrowded hospitals and surges in severely ill patients and deaths, he said.

"If China, as a developing country, with a population of over 1.4 billion, had not taken action, the toll would be beyond imagination," Guo said.

"The outcomes of China's control work have shown that our strategy is suited to national conditions and conforms to scientific rules," he said. "Our measures are relatively cost effective and yield good results, reflecting our people-centered approach and the advantages of the socialist system."

Guo added that China will keep a close eye on the latest epidemic developments, continue to improve its capability to launch precise, scientific control measures, and strive to contain new outbreaks in a more sophisticated manner and at a lower cost.

He disputed the opinion that China's virus control strategy has disrupted global supply chains, saying that viewpoint is incorrect.

"It is the implementation of a correct control policy that enables China to quickly regain economic growth and help stabilize global supply chains," he said.

China's foreign trade volume and its share of the international market hit a record high last year, Guo said, and this injected impetus into the recovery of the global economy.

Meanwhile, he said, China has provided a large quantity of antivirus materials to 150 countries and 13 international organizations.

It has also dispatched 37 medical expert teams to 34 countries, and supplied over 2.1 billion COVID-19 vaccines to over 120 countries and international organizations.

"China's foreign aid is also aimed at assisting the global community in battling the virus and restoring normal order, so as to promote its exchanges with the world," he said.

China will continue to ramp up antivirus assistance to developing countries, he said.