Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025

From China to the West: learn our lessons on containing the coronavirus epidemic

From China to the West: learn our lessons on containing the coronavirus epidemic

Some Chinese sources are suggesting that Western countries have not done enough to stop the spread of the disease. Advice comes as Europe takes over as the epicentre of the crisis and Beijing tries to ward off imported cases

As China’s coronavirus crisis appears to wane and infections elsewhere in the world rise, the message from Beijing is that some countries in the West have been too slow to react and not done enough to contain the pandemic.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced on the weekend that Europe was the new epicentre of the pandemic, a mantle that had previously hung over China, where the pathogen first emerged.

The number of cases has exploded in countries such as Spain, which now has more than 4,000 reported infections, and Italy, which is in lockdown with more than 20,000 coronavirus patients.

Governments in the West have rushed to introduce containment measures, with fears of a recession rattling global financial markets. The number of cases in the rest of the world could soon surpass the total in China, where there are expected to be fewer than 10,000 people receiving treatment in a matter of days.

China’s National Health Commission said there were 10,734 active coronavirus cases as of Saturday, with 20 new infections reported on Saturday, and more than 1,000 people discharged from hospital each day.

Throughout the epidemic, China has reported 80,884 cases while the rest of the world has 74,225, according to the WHO.

For now, China is shifting some of its focus away from domestic containment measures to concentrate on lowering imported cases.

As part of that push, Beijing on Sunday announced that everyone travelling into the city from overseas would have to be quarantined in an isolation facility.

At the same time, China’s propaganda machine is moving from away from a “domestic focus to one outside China”, according to Nanjing University politics professor Gu Su.

Gu said China was trying to export its experience and wisdom as it had sought to do in the past.

That approach was apparent on Saturday when state broadcaster CGTN said on its Twitter-like WeChat account that some countries were not sufficiently aware of the severity of the epidemic and that global efforts were yet to “synchronise”.

It said Chinese medical teams had published information about diagnosis and treatment in global publications but “not enough attention had been paid to them”.

The broadcaster quoted Qiu Haibo, a critical care specialist at Zhongda Hospital in Nanjing, as saying that he was concerned that some countries might have to relearn China’s lessons.



There have also been vocal critics in China of preparedness in the West.

While parts of the United States and various countries in Europe have shut schools and cancelled sporting events, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promoted a “herd immunity” strategy, saying mass closures would not stop the outbreak but exposing a large part of the population would help build immunity and limit future infection.

In addition, Sweden said it would keep schools open and restrict testing for the virus to the sick and elderly.

Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of nationalist tabloid the Global Times, said it was “criminal” for countries like Sweden and Britain to give up efforts to fight the virus.

“The virus is rampant in Europe, it is far from at the end of its tether,” Hu said.

He also said the herd immunity strategy that would “smash a big hole” in global containment efforts, putting pressure back on China to combat the disease.

Zhang Wenhong, director of the infectious diseases department at Shanghai Huashan Hospital affiliated with Fudan University, said China was facing a big risk of imported infections and the pandemic was unlikely to end by this northern summer.

“We had thought the world would synchronise controls with those taken in China – in the way that Singapore, Japan and South Korea have done. But Europe has become the new epicentre and brought us huge uncertainties,” Zhang said on an article on the hospital’s social media account on Sunday,

Nevertheless, official government statements have so far held back from making direct criticism.

Instead, the foreign ministry said that China’s efforts in the past two months had won time for the world, and global collaboration was needed in containment and vaccine development.



WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said countries should continue with containment efforts and work together to find solutions, rather try to apportion blame.

“Countries should not let it go just like that and give up and say we don’t know, and everyone will get the virus,” he said in an interview with CGTN on Saturday night.

Gu, from Nanjing University, said that “so far the Chinese media overall has not exaggerated” its message.

“They understand that the West can learn from China’s experience, but it would be another matter whether they can do it,” Gu said.

He said there had been criticism about the initial missteps by the Chinese government, and if the West had paid attention to China’s unprecedented efforts to contain the virus over the past 50 days, it would have been more alert and made better precautions.

“The Western system is different from ours and they cannot completely replicate what we have done,” he said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
×