Figures released by China’s National Health Commission as of 27 February morning on impact of COVID-19 states that 3,622 patients were cured and discharged from hospital in China. This brought the total number of cured cases to 36,117. In comparison to cured cases in the past epidemics in recent times, this figure is on much higher side.
An analysis made on the “Corona virus battle in China: Prospect and Process” by prestigious Shanghai Institutes of International Studies (SIIS, January 2020), has suggested three inter-related actions to effectively address the global COVID-2019 concern. They are: First, optimise the existing epidemic information disclosure mechanisms. Second, strengthen international exchange of experience in epidemic control. And third, oppose discrimination against epidemic-struck regions and people.
China’s efforts, governance as well as diplomatic, look focused, among others, implementing the three actions. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Chinese government and people have been highly appreciative and grateful to the Japanese and the Republic of Korean (ROK) governments and peoples for their sincere and friendly support to China as they have helped and cooperated with China in fighting the epidemic at the critical moments of a World Health Emergency.
A sense of indebtedness is inherent in China. After controlling the Coronavirus epidemic within its borders, China has started extending a helping hand beyond the borders in countries where the epidemic has been spreading. Noting the spread of the epidemic, in friendly neighbours Japan and the ROK, China has termed China, Japan and the ROK as “a community with a shared future in the face of the epidemic”. China has declared that it would not be “absent in our two neighbours' fights against the epidemic.” China has provided initial additional medical supplies to help Japan tackle the COVID-19 epidemic.
As if after the storm, the rainbow is arising. China is ever ready to improve and strengthen emergency communication and coordination mechanism on public health and epidemic prevention with friends and neighbors, enhance information sharing on the epidemic, exchange related experiences and technologies, and conduct cooperation on diagnosis, treatment and medicine and vaccine R&D. It has further offered to coordinate epidemic prevention and control efforts by strengthening regulation at entry and exit points with stepped up inspection and quarantine, including cutting down unnecessary cross-border travels.
China has welcomed and expressed gratitude to Mongolia, friendly neighbour with open arms. After the COVID-19 broke out, the Mongolian government did not only take an initiative by calling on all sectors at home to provide support to China, its several key ministries also jointly organised a fundraiser titled "warm support for our permanent neighbour". After these cooperative actions, Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga paid a special visit to China to express togetherness with China on a world “war without smoke.” He was the first head of state to visit China after the epidemic outbreak. On the return from the China visit, president Battulga and his team went to quarantine as per the WHO epidemic prevention procedures.
Jewish Council for Public Affairs and several other US Jewish organisations have expressed support to the Chinese people in the hours of adversity. Chinese people have acknowledged them with gratitude. Last week, to express cooperation and solidarity in the face of epidemic, state councilor and foreign minister Wang Yi made a phone call with Iranian, Italian, Japanese and ROK foreign ministers.
People’s and non-state organisations and common people in Nepal are all praise for China’s leadership of President Xi Jinping and all the relevant governance levels in China for their strong partnership with the people in comprehensively and authoritatively controlling and managing coronavirus which knows no borders. They are very grateful to Chinese government for taking good care of the Nepali students and citizens in China during the epidemic. Many of them have later returned home safely.
In the process of meeting the challenges and extreme difficulties, the Chinese government has even to face a China smear campaign from a few Western media and their copy-paste version in countries like Nepal. Nepali people who culturally love an independent media were aghast to see that these media agencies did not spare a Chinese nation even in a life and social order--threatening situation. It has become a duty for justice and independence loving people in Nepal and elsewhere to oppose discrimination against epidemic-struck regions and people-whether in China or the US or any place in the rest of the world.
For the world and neighbours in particular, the lessons provided by the serious epidemic like COVID-19, which might incubate in any part of the world, are simple: the non-traditional security threats to the health of human-being in the form of deadly new infectious diseases are a common challenge facing the world in the form of new world war without smoke. Attitude tempered by a sense of solidarity and mutual cooperation is the most amicable and effective weapon to win the world war against them. Finally, a responsive governance system coupled with well-equipped and technology-savvy mechanism under a strong pro-people leadership system is a must to tackle such non-traditional security threat.

(Dr. Gautam and Prof. Shrestha are associated with China Study Centre Nepal)