Commentary: China's stringent COVID-19 control measures people-centered, coordinated approach

BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Although some Western media outlets are pointing a finger at the sustainability of China's stringent COVID-19 control measures, China is demonstrating remarkable governance capabilities in reining in coronavirus while coordinating economic and social life, with a great sense of responsibility for its people and the world.

Science-based and proven highly effective in practice, China's epidemic prevention and control measures have helped curb its further spread, featuring lockdowns, massive screening, contact tracing, and large-scale vaccination. For the recent surge of the epidemic in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province, for instance, measures like mass nucleic acid testing and travel restrictions have been applied, and the city has registered none confirmed case in the past three days.

"China's domestic successes in controlling COVID-19 stand in contrast with outcomes elsewhere, and other countries should learn what public health lessons they can," said an article published by Lancet in April.

For China to have taken determined steps to protect people's lives and ensure normal operations of economic and social activities, it is because the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) values serving people's interest as its overarching principle, and the right to subsistence and development represents the most fundamental human rights. China's victory of the all-out people's war on the virus speaks volumes about the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China and the advantage of China's socialist system in rallying collective forces to counter difficulties and challenges.

While doing its own job well, China has provided via various means support for other countries to fight the virus. So far, China has offered around 800 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the world, living proof of its acting as a responsible major country.

In stark contrast, certain Western countries, though endowed with advanced medical resources, have been witnessing persistently high levels of infections and huge losses of human lives. Figure pointing and blaming China will not solve their problems. They must admit their failure in pandemic response and mend their fences.

In face of the threat posed by the coronavirus, the common enemy of humankind, no one is safe until every place is free from the pandemic. Amid the protracted war against COVID-19 that requires the solidarity of all, it is high time those Western media outlets drop manipulation of public opinion and steer back to the right track of international cooperation.