SOURCE / ECONOMY
China proposes to lift world by taking responsibility in virus control, green growth
Nation takes on responsibility on global scale
Published: Nov 23, 2020 08:53 PM

The Chinese delegation in Beijing participate in the virtual 15th G20 Leaders' Summit on Saturday night. G20 leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the summit. Photo: Xinhua



Chinese President Xi Jinping has attended a series of multilateral events in the last days, and put forward China's comprehensive solutions to global challenges, including approaches to fight COVID-19 pandemic, ways to facilitate global economic recovery, and methods to cap carbon emissions to protect the planet's environment. 

The words are clear signals of Chinese government's willingness to help the global recovery, and a commitment that China will not shut its door to foreign companies, so as to inject fresh hope to a world in its arduous efforts to conquer the pandemic, experts said.

The remarks came after Xi attended high-level meetings via video links, including the leaders' meetings of the BRICS, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and the Group of 20 (G20) from November 17 to 22. 

During the events, Xi made speeches and put forward 23 important initiatives, proposals and measures for coordinating the control of COVID-19 with economic and social development, cooperating to shape the post-pandemic international order, and strengthening global economic governance.

"The frequent presence of China's top leader at these significant global events at this critical time is a positive signal showing that China has been actively participating in international activities and is taking on its responsibility as a member of the international community," Zhao Gancheng, a research fellow at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, told the Global Times. 

During the past months, China has repeatedly said that it is willing to contribute to the pandemic fight of other countries, he added.

And, the events also offer good opportunities for China to refute the Trump administration' practice of vilifying China and slandering China's image, Zhao said.

In a speech at the opening of the G20 on Saturday, President Xi reiterated that China will honor its pledge to make vaccines a global public good, urged more countries to join a China-proposed mechanism on mutual recognition of health certificates with a QR code to allow global travel to resume, and vowed to increase the level of debt suspension and relief for countries facing economic difficulties.

China's solutions to fight against the COVID-19 epidemic represent a "one-two punch that addresses both symptoms and root causes," including measures for economic recovery, epidemic control and prevention, and promoting social stability, Song Guoyou, deputy director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times on Monday.

"We will not force other countries to accept our solutions, but we do hope they can draw lessons from China and choose whatever is useful in keeping to their national conditions," Song noted. 

The proposal of using a digital health QR code system as a "fast track" for resuming international travel may be recognized first among China's neighbors, Song said, to reduce the difficulty and complexity of cross-border movement of people and goods, and promote economic recovery and trade growth in the region. 

Apart from proposals for the anti-pandemic fight, Xi has also put forward a package of solutions to facilitate the global economic recovery, featuring openness, innovation, inclusiveness and green development.

China has extended debt relief to the developing countries worth $2.1 billion in total, the highest among the G20 members in terms of the amount deferred, Chinese Finance Minister Liu Kun said.

"Two measures of what China offers to the developing world impress me a lot: the country's pledge on debt relief and its vow to give priority to providing coronavirus vaccines to developing countries. The offers should be very welcome," Song noted. 

Experts also noted that China's next five-year plan, which charts the nation's development path for the coming five years and features the new development paradigm of "dual circulation," could provide opportunities for many economies in the world to recover from COVID19 crisis.

Xi has also took the chance at the multilateral events to explain key issues related to this strategic decision, including the reason why China has to foster such a paradigm and what it means to the world, as well as policies and measures to open the country still wider, and China's willingness to share its development opportunities.

Whatever difficulties may come its way, China will always uphold multilateralism and win-win cooperation, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters on Sunday, adding that the government will be steadfast in advancing the building of a new-type of international relations and a community with a shared future for the humanity.