On January 8th, the Bangladesh Post published an article titled “Embracing the dawn of victory for the fight against COVID-19” authored by H.E. Yao Wen, Ambassador of China to Bangladesh. The full text of the article is as follows:

Last month, China adjusted its COVID policy, managing COVID-19 with measures against Class-B infectious diseases. The new policy will be fully implemented from today. Personnel exchanges between China and other countries will henceforth become more convenient and smoother. As a big country with a population of 1.4 billion, the adjustment attracted wide attention from the international community. Avast majority of countries and peoples applaud and support this adjustment. But there are some western medias with tinted glasses who discredited China’s surging cases and overwhelmed health service, alleged that China’s COVID response has failed. What is the true picture?

Why did China adjust its epidemic prevention policy?

It is an inevitable choice for countries around the world to adjust epidemic control policies according to the time and situation, and China is no exception. This adjustment is in essence an optimization of epidemic prevention measures. It is a proactive measure to make the prevention and control work more scientific, precise and effective. It shows China's attitude of seeking truth from facts.

Over the past three years, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, the Chinese government has put people and life first, united and led the whole Party and the people of all ethnic groups in resolutely waging the people's war against the epidemic, and ensured the lives of hundreds of millions of people to the greatest extent possible. At present, according to the mutation of the virus, the situation of the epidemic and the needs of China's prevention and control work, China's prevention and control strategy must be adjusted accordingly, and the focus of work needs to be shifted from "preventing infection" to "protecting health and preventing severe illness".

This adjustment is a correct decision based on scientific judgment. It will help unleash the potential and vitality of the Chinese economy, ensure the stability and unimpeded international supply and industrial chains, and promote global economic recovery and growth. It is a responsible measure for the Chinese people and the world, and once again embodies the concept of putting people and life first.

Did China make enough preparation for the adjustment?

China’s “gear shift” was carried out after the worst period of the epidemic, with better conditions and foundations in place. In line with the adjustment, China is also vigorously promoting the vaccination of COVID-19 vaccine, focusing on strengthening the vaccination and health management of the elderly. China has received more than 3.4 billion doses of vaccination, of which the full coverage rate for seniors over 60 and 80 years old is over 85% and 65%, respectively.

Chinese departments have worked actively to beef up medical resources, set up a multi-tiered and category-based diagnosis and treatment mechanism, and increased the production capacity and supply of medicines. China has mobilized as many resources as possible to protect the elderly with underlying health conditions, pregnant and lying-in women, children and other key groups, and spare no effort to reduce severe cases and deaths. With these safeguard measures, China is fully capable and confident of walking the “last mile” and ultimately overcoming the epidemic.

Will China's policy adjustment bring risks?

Every time when China wants to optimize and adjust its epidemic prevention and control measures, it makes decision on the basis of prudent planning and scientific assessment by experts, ensuring that the decision is proactive and safe, and risks are under control. In accordance with the decision to manage COVID-19 with measures against Class-B infectious diseases, relevant departments formulated these provisional measures on cross-border travel, which are up-to-date and in sync with the current domestic COVID measures. This will make cross-border travel easier, safer, more orderly and more efficient.

As for prevention and control of imported COVID cases, at present, the number of international flights in China has reached more than 400 per week, and the number of inbound flights has increased to more than 80,000 per week. As the number of flights and the number of people coming to China continue to increase, imported cases have not increased significantly and are generally controllable.

As for management of domestic epidemic situation, China’s COVID situation on the whole remains predictable and under control. Beijing is the first city to have gone through the infection peak, where life and work are coming back to normal as we speak. Relevant Chinese departments have made scientific assessments of the potential peaks in other provinces and cities. They have made necessary preparations and are confident that this process of policy adjustment and shifting of focus will go ahead in a steady and orderly way.

As for the impacts on global epidemic situation, health experts from many countries have said that the main variant now spreading in China has previously been found elsewhere already, and that a new variant can emerge anywhere on the planet. I believe that if all members of the global community adhere to a science-based response approach and work together, the safety of cross-border travel will be ensured to the greatest extent.

What will China’s policy adjustments bring to Bangladesh?

According to the provisional measures on cross-border travel, starting from today(January 8th), inbound travelers including friends from Bangladesh will need to show a negative nucleic acid test taken within 48 hours prior to departure. The test result will need to be noted in the customs health declaration form. Inbound travelers no longer need to apply for a health code from Chinese embassies or consulates. This will greatly reduce the time and economic cost of traveling between China and Bangladesh, and frequent exchange of visits to each other will once again become the norm of bilateral exchanges. The two-way flow of governments, business personnel and common people of the two countries will also become more frequent, which will strongly promote the exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in various fields. The exchanges, dialogue and cooperation between China and Bangladesh will soon enter a new stage of vigorous enhancement.

As the 2nd largest economy in the world, China’s recent COVID-19 policy adjustments will undoubtedly lead to a strong recovery of its domestic economy. At a time when the global economy is slowing down, it will inject new and strong impetus into the global development, highly increase the stability of the global industrial and supply chains, and enormously boost the confidence of Bangladesh and many other developing countries. Meanwhile,as a global mega-market, the rebound in Chinese consumption will also help dispel the gloom of global economy and provide more certainty and stability for the uncertain future of the world.

Actions speak louder than words. Through the above introduction, I believe that our friends in Bangladesh will have a more objective and comprehensive understanding of China's policy adjustment. In his 2023 New Year Address，Chinese president H.E. Mr Xi Jinping pointed out that, “We have now entered a new phase of COVID response where tough challenges remain. Everyone is holding on with great fortitude, and the light of hope is right in front of us. Let's make an extra effort to pull through, as perseverance and solidarity mean victory.” These words not only apply to China's fight against COVID-19, but also reflect Chinese expectation to global cooperation against COVID-19.