China's pandemic fight praiseworthy

A detailed analysis of China’s efforts and innovative medical actions shows that the Chinese leadership has left no stone unturned to safeguard people’s lives and health in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic has disrupted the socioeconomic structures of economies around the world, highlighting the importance of paramedical staff and resources. Even in this chaotic situation, China was one of the few countries to maintain healthy economic growth, and help other countries to sustain their development and provide them with COVID-19 vaccines and medical aid so they can prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The visionary leadership of President Xi Jinping has protected the Chinese people from the worst effects of the virus, for which China had to impose strict restrictions and take necessary measures needed to conduct more targeted health campaigns. And given the improving pandemic situation, mainly because the virus variants have become less lethal despite being more infectious, China recently eased the anti-pandemic restrictions.

However, some Western countries have launched a hostile propaganda against China after it eased the restrictions, which is a tragic irony, because the lifting of the restrictions, they said China had no reason to continue the strict restrictions.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Western media have been calculating the human and economic costs of China’s strict anti-pandemic policy, claiming the policy’s success in containing the virus was limited. Thus, negating these claims and false accusations is important to control the spread of the virus.

It is also important to prioritize protection of the elderly and the children, extend the vaccination coverage and take all necessary preventive measures against the virus.

Strict anti-pandemic measures including vaccination and the use of public health tools were the hallmark of China’s nearly three-year pandemic fight. More important, China’s anti-pandemic policy is still aimed at keeping the number of cases as low as possible, and implementing scientific and targeted epidemic control measures while facilitating socioeconomic development.

This policy has saved precious lives and helped life return to normal in a relatively short time. And thanks to the Chinese leadership’s robust policies and their implementation, the country has continued to provide goods and services for the world, including goods direly needed by many countries to fight the pandemic.

Amid the fight against the pandemic, China has helped many countries to stabilize their economies and thus protect people against the virus. As a result, Western countries’ efforts to launch an anti-Chinese propaganda are bound to fail.

China’s anti-pandemic policies and precautionary measures have helped lower the risks of infection in the country. The fight against the pandemic over the past almost three years has been supported by Chinese people, from the frontline medical staff and local residents to college students and community volunteers, showing that the strict prevention and control policy was effective in containing the virus.

In a nutshell, China has been bolstering medical resources and mobilizing medical institutions at all levels to appropriately respond to the for COVID-19 pandemic, and ensure people who have contracted the virus get proper medical treatment.

Chinese government is fully aware of the challenges, and has been working tirelessly to protect the Chinese people from the virus. Thus, any allegation against China prompts us to question the so-called preventative measures taken by the Western countries against the virus and maintain economic stability. So instead of accusing China of being irresponsible for lifting the strict restrictions or blaming it for triggering another wave of infections across the world, Western countries should work with China to create a COVID-19-free world.

False accusations and hostile campaigns against China will not impact China’s global outreach. Instead, they will expose the forces detrimental to global peace and security.

The author is executive director of Pakistan Research Center for a Community with Shared Future, Islamabad.

The views don’t necessarily reflect those of China Daily.