ince the beginning of the outbreak of Covid-19, China has carried out aggressive prevention and control measures at home. By locking down the city of Wuhan, tracking contacts and actively hospitalizing and treating patients, China has not only curbed the spread of the disease at home, but also slowed its international spread, creating a longer window of opportunity for other countries to get prepared. The World Health Organization (“WHO”), as the technical authority and central coordinating mechanism for global health governance, has repeatedly commended and praised China's actions as setting a new benchmark for combating transnational infectious diseases.

Yet despite these aggressive efforts, since February 18th, the spread of the disease outside China has suddenly accelerated. Japan, South Korea, Italy, Iran and some other countries have seen fast transmission of the virus. Till March 8th, WHO has reported over 100,000 confirmed cases globally, one fifth of which are identified outside China.

How has China’s cooperation with the WHO contributed to the global fight against the epidemic? And with the development of the international epidemic entering the next stage, how should China further carry out international cooperation? In my opinion, supporting and enhancing the WHO’s central role as the director for international prevention and control policies, is the key to addressing these questions.

First, China has fulfilled its obligations under the International Health Regulations. On January 3, China notified the WHO of the presence of the novel coronavirus, and on January 7, China released the genetic sequence of the virus, leading to the rapid development of diagnostic tools and laying a good foundation for collaborative scientific research around the world. In addition, China invited the WHO experts to visit four cities, including Wuhan, to investigate the epidemic situation, preventive measures taken, medical treatments being rendered, as well as relevant research in progress to conquer Covid-19. China’s openness and transparency is in stark contrast to the reluctance of some developed countries to share full case data, which the WHO’s Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has regarded as lack of willingness, rather than capability.

Second, by contributing knowledge, China has further strengthened the WHO’s role as the technical authority in global cooperation. A large part of the challenges brought about by the new coronavirus is its many unknowns. Compared with other countries, China has accumulated relatively more knowledge and experience due to our abundance of experience . For example, a research article in the Chinese Journal of Epidemiology, authored by scientists from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, caught Dr. Tedros’s attention. He commended the data provided as very crucial to the WHO when making evidence-based suggestions to the world. The epidemiological findings disclosed by the Report of the WHO-China Joint Mission on Coronavirus Disease 2019 also updated our knowledge of the virus. It is worth mentioning that, for the first time, the State Council information Office held an English language press conference on March 4th, inviting frontline medical experts to share lessons.

Last but not the least, China’s prevention and control measures provide useful lessons for the WHO to make appropriate policy suggestions. The effectiveness of measures taken by the Chinese government has been amply proven. Of course, this does not mean that all countries should “copy and paste” and carry out lock-downs or massive quarantine measures. However, some general principles and concrete lessons can be drawn and put forward. Political commitment is essential for addressing such a large-scale public health challenge. False hope that one can just stand aloof and be shielded from threats will jeopardize global efforts. Fortunately, as we can see recently, many countries are mobilizing to tackle this threat. Besides, as the experts from the WHO and China agreed, monitoring and rapid detection are critical to cut off transmission, which has been incorporated into the WHO’s renewed suggestions on international travel and trade of March 4th. 

Admittedly, as the disease has worsened beyond its borders, China’s situation has become even more complicated. From my perspective, three efforts can be made to promote international cooperation under the framework of the WHO.

First and foremost, it is critically important to continue to share data and experience with the WHO, especially on how to prevent and manage imported cases. Dozens of imported cases have been reported in China. Given the large number of Chinese people living and traveling abroad, it is not surprising. China should also improve border surveillance according to the latest guidance of the WHO and continue to participate in discussions of global strategies. After all, in an age of globalization, cooperation works best at the least cost.

Second, China can further activate multilateral health cooperation with neighboring countries and support the WHO’s global efforts. China has rich experience and a solid foundation in regional health cooperation. For example, cross-border prevention and control of infectious diseases has been carried out in the Lancang Mekong sub-region for many years. Health cooperation has been woven into multilateral organizations such as BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, China-Africa Cooperation Forum and the China-Arabic Countries Cooperation Forum. The Silk Road of Health Cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative also aims to promote health on a global level. To date, in fighting Covid-19, China has made a common declaration with ASEAN countries and held video conferences with some central Asia countries to share experiences.

Third, China’s enterprises can also contribute globally by technical innovation. During the Ebola outbreak in the West Africa, a Chinese company, Aucma, developed vaccine storage equipment which can be kept refrigerated without power supply. This facilitated the storage and transportation of vaccine in Africa’s hot environment. The same technology has been applied this time in Wuhan. In addition, China has adopted new technologies and practices such as autonomous delivery vehicles, autonomous drug delivery systems, robot disinfection and civilian drone monitoring of people drug delivery systems, robot disinfection and civilian monitoring of people in need of medical services. Properly developed, these technologies can serve the public health systems of more developing countries in need.

In face of this global health challenge, the world needs a strong and effective World Health Organization more than ever. Indifference, unilateralism, or even aiming political attacks at it, will undermine the cornerstone of international cooperation. China has taken the lead in supporting the WHO and should continue making more important contributions.

The global community needs to realize the truth of what the WHO argued as long ago as 2007, when it said in a report that “collective international public health action can build a safer future of humanity.” Countries should see they are in the same boat, and should help each other stay afloat.

Tang Bei is an associate professor of international relations at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs at Shanghai International Studies University.