PR85478

BEIJING, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

A news report by CGTN:

Video - https://cdn5.prnasia.com/202009/CGTN/video.mp4 

China held a meeting on Tuesday to honor role models in the country's fight

against the COVID-19 epidemic - the fastest spreading, most extensive and most

challenging public health emergency it has encountered since the founding of

the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Renowned respiratory disease expert Zhong

Nanshan(https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-09-08/Zhong-Nanshan-A-respiratory-expert

-bearing-the-nation-s-trust-TBcBq2soqk/index.html ) was awarded the Medal of the

Republic, the highest state honor. Zhong identified the SARS virus in 2003 and

is currently leading the Chinese government's efforts in the fight against COVID-19.

Three other medical specialists were conferred on the national honorary title,

"the People's Hero." The recipients are Zhang Boli, a traditional Chinese

medicine expert who presided over the research of the COVID-19 treatment scheme

combining traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, Zhang

Dingyu(https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-09-08/Zhang-Dingyu-I-am-a-patient-also-a-

doctor-TBVCpma2WY/index.html ), head of Wuhan's designated coronavirus-treating

Jinyintan Hospital, and Chen Wei, a military medical scientist who made major

achievements in COVID-19-related basic research and development of vaccine and

protective medicine.

"Medical workers are the most beautiful angels and the most lovable people in

the new era," Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a speech after presenting

the medals. "Their names and feats will never be forgotten by the nation, the

people and history, and will be engraved on the monument of the republic."

Millions of medical workers fought on the frontline against COVID-19

nationwide, including 540,000 in central China's Hubei Province and its capital

city Wuhan, the hardest-hit region during the outbreak, said Xi, who is also

general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and

chairman of the Central Military Commission.

Joint efforts to address global challenges

Xi pledged that China will join hands with the international community to

tackle the global challenges of the pandemic.

Noting that the novel coronavirus outbreak is the worst pandemic the world has

seen in a century, he underscored China's contributions in the global fight.

China has acted with "openness, transparency and responsibility" and actively

fulfilled its international obligations since the start of the outbreak, he stressed.

It "voluntarily provided information about the outbreak to the World Health

Organization (WHO) and relevant countries and regional organizations in a most

timely fashion, and released the genome sequence of the novel coronavirus at

the earliest possible time," he said.

China has conducted more than 70 exchanges with various countries and

international and regional organizations on epidemic control to share its

experience, Xi noted.

China has announced the decision to provide two batches of cash support

totaling 50 million U.S. dollars to the WHO; it has sent 34 medical expert

teams to 32 countries and offered assistance to 150 countries and four

international organizations; from March 15 to September 6, the country exported

151.5 billion masks, 1.4 billion protective suits, 230 million pairs of goggles, 209,000

ventilators, 470 million testing kits and 80.14 million infrared thermometers, according to Xi.

The pandemic has demonstrated that mankind is a community that shares weal and

woe, he said, calling for solidarity and cooperation across the world to tackle the crisis.

China will continue to promote international cooperation on epidemic control,

support the WHO in playing the leading role in the fight, and contribute to the

building of a community of common health for mankind, he said.

China steadfast in pursuing better future

The president reviewed what measures China has taken to fight the virus and

called for unity and determination throughout the nation to address challenges

and achieve development goals.

Over the past seven-plus months, more than 80,000 Chinese were infected by the

virus and about 4,700 people lost their lives. The numbers could have been much

bigger without the firm measures implemented at various levels and sacrifices

made by medical workers, community workers as well as residents who have

strictly followed restrictions for epidemic control.

"In little more than a month, the rising spread of the virus was contained; in

around two months, the daily increase in domestic coronavirus cases fell to

single digits; and in approximately three months, a decisive victory was secured

in the battle to defend Hubei Province and its capital city of Wuhan," Xi noted.

With the easing of the outbreak, China announced a series of policies to help

enterprises, create jobs, boost investment and consumption and advance poverty

alleviation, he said.

The world's second-largest economy grew by 3.2 percent in the second quarter

from a year earlier, reversing a 6.8-percent decline in the first quarter.

"China has become the first major economy to return to growth since the start

of the pandemic," Xi said.

Looking ahead, Xi said China must continue to implement regular epidemic

control measures and strive for full victory in the fight against COVID-19.

He stressed strengthening institutional guarantees for safeguarding the

people's lives and health, calling for developing a strong public health system

and upgrading the system of prevention, control and treatment of major epidemics.

He also called for intensified efforts to ensure economic growth and improve

people's livelihood, stressing that national development goals and tasks must

be accomplished.

China aims to eradicate absolute poverty and complete the building of a

moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020.

Meanwhile, Xi stressed the importance of increasing awareness of risks and

sticking to bottom-line thinking and called for efforts to enhance capabilities

to prevent and defuse different kinds of risks along China's development path.

He expressed confidence in China's future in the new era. "Nobody and no force

can stop the Chinese people from achieving a better life!" Xi said.

Original article:

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-09-08/China-honors-pandemic-fighters-vows-to-carry-on-fighting-COVID-19-TCeSeTaCze/index.html 

SOURCE: CGTN