On March 2nd, The Nassau Guardian carried an article by Ambassador Huang Qinguo entitled China is confident and capable of defeating the novel coronavirus epidemic. The full text is as follows:
The novel coronavirus epidemic has posed a major public health challenge to China and beyond due to the high speed of spreading, the wide range of infections and the extreme difficulty to contain. In responding to the epidemic, President Xi Jinping put forward the general requirements of action featured by maintaining confidence, working together and taking scientific and precise measures, and the Chinese government has ever put in place the most comprehensive and the strictest measures to prevent and contain the epidemic. Thanks to the concerted efforts throughout the country in the previous stage, the spread of the epidemic has been effectively curbed and positive results have been achieved. The number of newly confirmed cases and newly appeared suspected cases across the country is on sharp decline, and the number of cured patients discharged from hospitals is increasing rapidly on daily basis. Especially, in the provinces outside Hubei, the epicenter of the epidemic, the total number of newly added cases has decreased significantly. The effectiveness of China's prevention and control work has once again demonstrated the significant advantages of the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the socialist system with Chinese characteristics.
The Chinese power, spirit, and efficiency demonstrated by the Chinese people in the prevention and control of the epidemic, as well as the image of a responsible major power of China, have been highly commended by the international community. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said on February 24 that the WHO and China joint expert team had concluded its field inspections in China, and the expert group believed that the epidemic peaked and plateaued between the 23rd of January and the 2nd of February, and had been declining steadily since then. The team also believed that the measures taken by China had effectively prevented a significant number of people from being infected. On the same day, António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, who was visiting the WHO headquarters in Geneva, said that the Chinese people, by implementing strict prevention and control measures to minimize the negative impact of the epidemic, had contributed to all mankind in a way of sacrificing many aspects of their normal daily lives.
Overcoming the virus is related to the safety of everyone of the world, and solidarity and cooperation are the most powerful weapons. Upholding the idea of building a community with a shared future for mankind, China is not only responsible for the safety and health of its own people, but also committed to the cause of safeguarding international public health. China proactively cooperates and exchanges information with WHO and the international community, quickly shares the entire genetic sequence of the virus, develops rapid test kits, and provides assistance within its capacity to other countries and regions where the epidemic has spread, and try its very best to prevent the epidemic from spreading in the world. The Chinese government has given special care for the foreign students, including Bahamian students in China by offering them epidemic prevention supplies and daily necessities. These actions have fully demonstrated the open, transparent, cooperative and responsible spirit of the Chinese government, and have laid the foundation for the world’s concerted fighting against the epidemic.
Although people are worried that the epidemic will have some impact on China’s economy, this impact will surely be temporary and limited. The China’s economy has enough resilience and potential, and the long-term positive trend of China's economic growth will not change. At present, the Chinese government is committed to combining both tracks of epidemic prevention and control and economic and social development, by giving full play to their enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of all economic sectors, to minimize the impact of the epidemic and strive to achieve the economic and social development goals for the year. The Chinese nation has experienced many ordeals in history, but has never been crushed. Instead, it has become more and more courageous, and has continued to grow and rise from ordeals. We firmly believe that under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese government and people are confident and capable of overcoming this epidemic, maintaining China's good economic and social development momentum, and making due contributions to maintaining global public health security and economic development.