The Consul General of the Peoples Republic of China in Lagos, Ambassador Chu Maoming, has expressed confidence in his country’s ability to control the spread of COVID-19.
In a statement in Lagos, Amb. Maoming said concerns about the spread of the disease in China “will help me and my fellow Chinese strengthen confidence in defeating the disease. I would like to assure my Nigerian friends that China will be able to win the battle.
As the highly contagious and latent Omicron variant is sweeping the world, multiple Chinese regions have been overshadowed by the current COVID-19 resurgence. But China has been rising to the challenge.”
Amb. Maoming noted that through a “resolute and full implementation of the dynamic zero-COVID approach, and with the whole-hearted support of the Chinese people, Shenzhen in southern China resumed normal work and production in late March as the resurgence subsides, while community transmission has been cut in Jilin Province since mid-April. Racing against time, Beijing has carried out multiple rounds of nucleic acid testing, and has grasped the basic picture of hidden transmission in society. Data shows the epidemic situation is steadily improving and under effective control in Shanghai.”
The Consul General in Lagos explained that the daily new COVID-19 cases had fallen from a peak of 27,000 to 3,000, and nearly two-thirds of the infections had recovered in the city.
“Over 70 percent of Shanghai’s 1,800-plus major enterprises have resumed work and production, and the resumption rate of the first batch of more than 660 key industrial enterprises in the city has exceeded 90 percent.
China’s anti-epidemic experience has demonstrated that its dynamic zero-COVID policy is not only the best option but also the bottom line that must be maintained for the country’s current epidemic prevention and control work,” Amb. Maoming said.
On the number of casualties been underreported, Amb. Maoming said, “worldwide, the virus has claimed over 6 million lives. In sharp contrast, the death toll was about 5,000 on the Chinese mainland. By pursuing the dynamic zero-COVID approach, China has managed to safeguard people’s lives and well-being and has minimized the epidemic’s impact on economic and social development to the largest extent.”
The senior Chinese official in Lagos said the stringent anti-epidemic measures inevitably lead to short-term economic pains, but dynamic zero-COVID is overall a counter-epidemic policy that ensures economic development.
“In the first quarter of 2022, China’s GDP increased by 4.8 percent year on year. Against the backdrop of global inflation, domestic prices remain steady. The value of goods trade in the period rose 10.7 percent. China’s major industrial firms saw their profits up 8.5 percent year on year.”
Amb. Maoming added that “from eliminating major infectious diseases such as malaria, to promoting international cooperation on the fight against COVID-19, China has always put people and their lives in the first place, which is responsible for not only the health and lives of the Chinese, but also the global public health cause. With concrete actions, China is practicing the vision of building a global community of health for all and building a powerful joint force for the world to fight COVID-19.”
