On January 13th, 2023, the Chinese Consulate General in New York held a “Media Meeting of Minds.” Deputy Consul General QIAN Jin, the spokesman of the CCG in New York, briefed some media on the overall situation and results of China's fight against COVID-19 and answered the related questions.
QIAN Jin said, since COVID began, the Chinese government has always put the people and their lives above all else. We have poured all our efforts and resources into protecting the life and health of every Chinese during the toughest time. Over the past three years, China has effectively dealt with the impact of five COVID waves, and effectively handled more than 100 cluster outbreaks, avoiding the spread of the original strains and the Delta variant strains, greatly reducing severe cases and deaths, and buying precious time for the research and application of vaccines and drugs, as well as the preparation of medical resources. Globally speaking, China has had the lowest rates of severe cases and mortality. Despite the pandemic, average life expectancy in China went up from 77.3 to 78.2 years. During their visit to China, the WHO expert team expressed admiration for China's success in slowing down the curve of COVID and spoke highly of China's achievements in fighting COVID, saying that China has created a miracle.
China not only protects the lives and health of its own people but also echoes the solidarity of the international community to fight against COVID. China was the first to propose that vaccines should be used as a global public good. Matching the words with actions, China has provided more than two billion doses of vaccines and a large amount of anti-COVID materials to the world and donated to WHO. With an open, transparent and responsible attitude, China has shared information with other countries from the very beginning of the epidemic and helped the international community in its response to the epidemic.
since the beginning of COVID, the Chinese Consulate General in New York has donated a large number of COVID PPE to our districts, including 25,000 N95 masks, 10,000 KN95 masks, 49,000 surgical masks, 2,000 protective suits and 75,000 protective gloves and 1,000 goggles. We actively assisted New York, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania and other states in collecting PPE from China, and encouraged relevant states to hold experience-sharing meetings with their sister provinces and cities in China. All sectors of our consular districts have also provided valuable assistance to China during the toughest time. The two sides continue to stand together, sharing weal and woe, and offered each other support.
during the three-day New Year's Day holiday this year, more than 52 million Chinese domestic tourists made trips, creating more than 26.5 billion yuan in revenue. In fact, people in Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Chongqing and Guangzhou are coming out of their homes. Shopping malls are crowded and restaurants are full of customers. With the arrival of the Spring Festival, more and more people’s lives and travelings will return to normal. This is the result of the Chinese government's timely adjustment of COVID policies based on scientific and rational analysis and judgment.
On China’s COVID data transparency, QIAN Jin said, since COVID began, China has shared information and data with the international community in an open and transparent manner. We shared the genome sequence of the virus at the earliest opportunity, making important contribution to the vaccine and drug research and development in countries around the world. China has carried out close cooperation with the WHO over the years. We have kept channels open for close communication at three levels with WHO’s headquarters, Western Pacific Regional Office and Representative Office in China. Preliminary figures show that since COVID was first reported, the two sides have had over 60 technical exchanges on COVID containment, treatment, vaccine research and development and origins-tracing. Besides, China sent 37 medical expert teams to 34 countries, and shared anti-epidemic experience more than 300 times with more than 180 countries and 10 international organizations. China has also held more than 900 medical training sessions for over 20,000 people in more than 50 countries in Africa, Asia and South America.
After recently refining its COVID response measures, China has held several technical meetings with the WHO. On December 9, 2022, China’s National Health Commission (NHC) held a special meeting with the WHO Representative Office in China, during which the NHC informed the WHO of the containment and treatment of COVID in China. On December 30, 2022, China and the WHO held another technical meeting on COVID-19. The two sides exchanged views on the current COVID situation, clinical care, vaccination and other technical issues. Chinese experts shared in detail the background and basis for the policy refinement and provided a comprehensive update on the current situation in China. On January 3, 2023, China, at the invitation of the WHO, sent experts from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to a meeting of the WHO Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution, where we provided a comprehensive update on the recent developments and COVID variants in China. On January 5, 2023, the WHO will hold a briefing with member states. China has asked relevant experts to attend the meeting where they will further inform the WHO of epidemic containment in China in detail and respond to technical issues that are of concern to other parties. On January 11, 2023, we had another technical exchange with WHO’s headquarters, regional office and China office. Building on previous communication, the two sides held in-depth exchanges on such issues as medical treatment, the COVID situation, identifying virus strains and vaccination.
Besides all these, recently China’s relevant departments have shared the genome data of the virus from COVID cases in China via the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID). The WHO has noted on many occasions that the technical meetings between China and the WHO have gone smoothly and produced positive results. The information and data that China shared helped scientists from all countries to learn about the evolution of the virus in China and strengthened the global science community’s confidence in China’s COVID response.
Facts have proven that China has always maintained close communication with the WHO and shared information and data on the epidemic in a timely, open and transparent manner in accordance with law. At the moment, China’s COVID situation is under control. As China adjusts its COVID response policy, we will continue to carry out activities including technical exchanges with the WHO.
QIAN Jin said, after the adjustment of COVID-19 prevention measures, China stopped conducting nucleic acid testing for all residents, which makes it difficult to know accurately what the case number is, as is the case in many countries around the world.
There are two main criteria for determining death from COVID-19 globally. One is death directly caused by respiratory failure because of infection with COVID-19, the other is death within 28 days of infection. To put it simply, “deaths due to COVID-19” and “deaths with COVID-19″. China has adopted the first category of death criteria since 2020. In times of pandemic and rapid transmission, it is difficult to tell exactly what the case fatality rate is. However, China has started to collect information through questionnaires and surveys and will continue to disclose information on deaths and severe cases in accordance with the principle of truth, openness and transparency.
The open-access data of GISAID has shown that over the past three years since COVID began, almost all COVID variants and their sub-variants have spread widely in the US, making it one of the countries with more COVID variants than others. Currently, this new Omicron sub-variant, known as XBB.1.5, spreads the fastest in the US and now accounts for more than 40% of new COVID infections in the US. The US needs to share its domestic COVID information and data with the WHO and the international community in a timely, open and transparent manner, and take concrete and effective measures to stop the virus from further spreading.
On reasons for China's COVID policy adjustment and its preparation, QIAN Jin said, with Omicron much less pathogenic and deadly and the rate of severe cases and mortality decreasing significantly, China has taken the initiative to refine its COVID response measures. The Chinese people are more concerned about their daily life, work, study and livelihood. When the people want something, the government must actively respond. Based on the experience of other countries' COVID prevention and China’s treatment, testing and vaccination capacity steadily on the rise, China has issued steps to treat COVID-19 as a Class-B instead of Class-A infectious disease, shifting the focus of our response from stemming infection to preventing severe cases and caring for health. This shift is also important from a strategic and long-term perspective for effectively coordinating COVID response with economic and social development and safeguarding the fundamental interests of the greatest majority of the people.
As response measures are being refined, relevant Chinese departments have worked actively to beef up medical resources, set up a multi-tiered and category-based diagnosis and treatment mechanism, and increased the production capacity and supply of medicines. We have mobilized as many resources as possible to protect the elderly with underlying health conditions, pregnant and lying-in women, children and other key groups, and made every effort to reduce severe cases and deaths. So far, China has vaccinated more than 3.46 billion doses for the Chinese people, covering 92.9 percent of the total 1.4 billion population, while 90 percent of the total population fully vaccinated, and over 90 percent of 60 and elder people receiving the first dose. Accelerating the vaccination of the elderly has achieved positive results and successfully protected the Chinese people during the toughest time. China is also upgrading the vaccine to improve its effectiveness and better deal with the mutation of the virus.
China has more than 10 types of COVID-19 vaccines, covering a variety of technical routes and vaccination methods, and the effectiveness of the vaccines has been recognized by scientists and research institutions in many countries. We have the world's largest production line of COVID-19 vaccines, with an annual output of more than 5.5 billion doses, which can meet all the needs. When it comes to the production capacity of drugs, China can produce 190 million tablets of Brufen and acetaminophen every day, a month-on-month increase of more than 4 times. China has promoted international medical cooperation in line with market principles, and approved the import of COVID-19 treatment drugs produced by Pfizer and other international manufacturers.
QIAN Jin said, on the whole, China has sufficient resources for intensive care. As of December 25 last year, the total number of intensive care beds in China has reached 181,000, and a reserve of 104,800 adaptable ICU beds. China also has 105,500 ICU doctors and 280,000 ICU nurses, and a reserve of 120,800 doctors and 220,900 nurses for adaptable ICU beds.
On entry restrictions on Chinese tourists, QIAN Jin said, since China announced the decision to manage COVID-19 with measures against Class-B infectious diseases and adopted provisional measures on cross-border travel, many countries have expressed their welcome, but a few countries have also announced entry restriction measures targeting travelers from China. China has been in communication with relevant countries with the utmost sincerity in this regard based on facts, and has elaborated on China’s science-based and reasonable COVID measures refinement and China’s current COVID situation. Regrettably, a handful of countries, in disregard of science and facts, have insisted on taking discriminatory entry restriction measures targeting China. China firmly rejects this.
Some worry that new mutated strains could emerge in China. But in fact, according to a WHO release on January 4, the genome data of the virus provided by China’s National Health Commission shows that the predominant variants in China share the genomes from travelers from China submitted by other countries, and no new variant or mutation of known significance was noted.
We once again call on all parties to make sure that their COVID response measures are fact-based, science-based and proportionate and should not affect normal cross-border travel and people-to-people exchange and cooperation, there should not be discriminatory measures, and still less should measures be used for political manipulation. China stands ready to maintain close communication with all parties, adapt COVID measures to the changing epidemic situation, make joint efforts to facilitate cross-border people-to-people exchanges, and contribute to global solidarity against COVID and to world economic recovery.
On China’s economic situation, QIAN Jin said, this adjustment is a correct decision based on scientific judgment. It will help unleash the potential and vitality of the Chinese economy, ensure the stability and unimpeded international supply and industrial chains, and promote global economic recovery and growth. It is a responsible measure for the Chinese people and the world, and once again embodies the concept of putting people and life first.
Over the past decade or so, China’s economy grew at an average annual rate of 6.6 percent and contributed up to more than 30 percent on average to world economic growth. In 2021, China’s GDP accounted for 18.5 percent of the world’s total and its foreign trade hit $6.9 trillion. China remains the world’s second largest economy and largest trading nation. In the face of complex and challenging situation both at home and abroad, the fundamentals sustaining China’s steady and sound economic growth in the long run remain unchanged and China remains a source of driving force for global prosperity and development. We believe that with the new measures taken by China, not only China's domestic economic recovery, but also the global flow of people, capital and technology will be greatly accelerated, providing strong support for the global supply chain and promoting the recovery of the world economy after the pandemic.
However, QIAN Jin said, certain western media reports alleged recently that the COVID situation in China will affect the stability of international industrial and supply chains and be a drag on world economic recovery. Such comments are driven by ulterior motives and run counter to the fact.
The fact is China’s COVID response policies have protected people’s lives and health and reduced the impact of the epidemic on economic and social development to the maximum extent possible. China’s average annual economic growth rate for the past three years stood at around 4.5%, higher than the global average. Against the backdrop of mounting downward pressure in the global economy and weakening momentum in global trade, China actively expanded opening-up and provided quality products and services to the world, playing a crucial stabilizing role in global industrial and supply chains. China’s foreign trade for 2021 increased to $6.9 trillion, remaining top of the world. China’s total import and export of goods between January and November last year grew by 8.6%, with export up by 11.9%, making significant contribution to stabilizing the world economy and driving global trade.
After the Chinese government adjusted its COVID response measures, heads of international organizations including the WTO and the OECD have expressed optimism about China’s economic prospects and confidence that this will shore up the world economy’s recovery and growth. Recently, many international investment institutions have raised their 2023 growth forecast for China. Foreign chambers of commerce in China held the view that relevant measures will rebuild foreign investors’ confidence in the Chinese market and contribute to restoring optimism and reinstating China as a priority investment destination. According to a US bank survey, the proportion of fund managers expecting higher growth in China soared to about 75% from just 13% in November 2022.
At present, China’s COVID situation is improving and some provinces and cities have gone through the infection peak, where life and work are coming back to normal at a faster pace. With demand picking up and new policies beginning to work, China will unleash more economic vitality and opportunities for the world, and be in a better position to stabilize and boost the global economy.
QIAN Jin also answered questions on visas to China.