False narratives more infectious than the virus

by Meifang Zhang

China is in the midst of adjusting its response measures around the COVID-19 virus and its
variants after a comprehensive assessment of the pandemic situation. This in itself should not be alarming, but encouraging, uplifting even, as anybody of government led by responsible leaders will amend its approaches with new information, new conditions. It is the sign of good leadership, especially when applied with good science.
    What does this updated version of measures look like? And why is it receiving so much attention from the West and its media apparatus?

     Let us address these questions separately. The adjustment of response measures in China includes:

• The reclassification of the virus to a Class B instead of the more serious Class A infectious diseases, and the management thereof in accordance with the law

• The dropping of testing requirements for travellers upon arrival to China as well as previous quarantine requirements for those that test positive while in the country

• In general, a shifting of focus from stemming infections to preventing severe cases and further minimising the impact of COVID-19 on economic and social activities.

These adjustments are consistent with China’s science-based approach toward governance
throughout the pandemic, one aligned with its national conditions. As with all nations, China
knows best its capabilities and capacities in service to its people. Measured approaches have been taken throughout the pandemic accordingly. New measures are now being put into effect because of new national conditions, such as the improvements in understanding of the virus and increased capacity to ensure healthy and safe travelling. Moreover, vaccine production levels have reached seven billion doses annually, and the supply of relevant medicines and antigen testing reagents are ensured across the country.
    This is what responsible leadership does; this is what China’s leadership continues to do, with the safety and well-being of its people at the forefront of all decisions at all times.
    Yet, the demand for “truth” remains, and that raises the second question to be addressed: Why exactly is this updating of China’s policies and practices around COVID-19 receiving so much attention by Western media and governments – and unflatteringly so?
    The truth? Life and work are returning to normal not only in the capital Beijing but across all of China. This is good news in terms of honouring the will of the people as well as their health, wealth and happiness.
    The anti-China sentiment and false narratives driven by the Western media and government apparatus serve no useful purpose. They are stoking fear as a means of justifying the actions of certain nations and its leaders at the expense of truth.
    The world is ushering in a new paradigm, one that places the needs of the many over those of the few. And in doing so promises a new era of prosperity and vitality for all nations under the spirit of acceptance and cooperation. This is a narrative that will ultimately hold as truth for all. All the challenges we face can only be addressed together for a more promising and better tomorrow for all.
    We may only make provision for and overcome global challenges by forging a new and better way through building “bridges”; There will be no place for “walls” in the future.
    Let us get on with more constructive means of construction, and tell a better story for future
humanity, by simply telling the truth while on this adjoined journey.

Meifang Zhang is China’s consul general in Belfast

Travel testing irritation

Is the pre-departure polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test the best way to collect COVID-19 data or is it an unnecessary irritation on global travel? Or just another political tool in an anti-China narrative?
    Many countries have imposed COVID-19 checks on Chinese travellers. The difference is between those who acted with undue haste, making a political decision, and those who delayed the decision, acting on the basis of health advice. Some countries appear to have used this decision as a political tool in part of a broader strategy that paints China unfavourably.
    The UK in particular acted against the advice from its own health authorities. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s decision to impose COVID-19 checks on travellers from China is described by some health experts as a purely political manoeuvre that would make no difference to the rise or fall of cases in the UK.
    Chief Medical Adviser Chris Whitty told Health Secretary Steve Barclay there was no clear evidence of significant benefits from testing travellers from China.
    The Observer newspaper reported that Barclay discussed the issues with Sunak, who still decided it was more important for Britain to align itself with those nations – the US, Japan, Italy and Spain – that had already imposed such testing requirements. This became a political decision driven by Sunak’s anti-China sentiment.
    “I don’t think it’s likely the UK will get any public health benefit from this measure” said Professor Mark Woolhouse of Edinburgh University. “This can only have been done for political reasons”.
    Australian infectious diseases expert Paul Griffin said he did not agree with the move from some countries to place entry restrictions on people travelling from China. “I think that the practicality and the feasibility … outweighs any potential benefit of implementing those sort of measures”.
    “And I would have liked to think we’ve learned from that by now and we just focus, once again, on those basics to minimise the impact of this virus, wherever it is”.
    The health advice suggests that pre-departure tests for travel out of or into China are a waste of time when it comes to preventing the spread of COVID-19.
    Paul Tambyah, president of the Asia-Pacific Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infection in Singapore said despite China’s reopening, there is no need for Singapore to toughen its entry requirements for travellers from China. The incidence of new cases in China appears to be no higher than in other countries such as Germany, France and the United States, and there is no evidence that travel restrictions are effective.
    A number of countries, including Australia, imposed the COVID-19 testing as a way of tracking the emergence of new COVID-19 variants. Australian Health Minister Mark Butler, acting on heath advice, said “the decision to implement these temporary measures has been made out of an abundance of caution, taking into account the dynamic and evolving situation in China and the potential for new variants to emerge in an environment of high transmission”.
    This conclusion is backed by UK Professor Woolhouse: “another reason for imposing the tests has focused on the need to track potentially dangerous new COVID-19 variants”.
    Nonetheless, this data collection justification also reveals a political component because it gets applied inconsistently.
    Woolhouse said “but we already know of one variant that is spreading rapidly in the US. Variant XBB.1.5 now accounts for about 40 per cent of cases in the US, but no one in the UK seems worried about it. Instead, a lot of noise is being made about hypothetical variants emerging in China”.
    It is crucial to track the potential emergence of new variants so that action can be taken to manage their impact. This is an essential part of any living with COVID-19 strategy. Data collection sits at the core of this management strategy. This is good science when it’s applied to all travellers, particularly from countries with high infection rates including the UK, or low vaccination rates, like the US.
    It is reasonable in some cases to apply pre-flight PCR testing as a way of tracking the
development of new variants. This is a data collection exercise and it’s essential that all the
    genomic information to be fed quickly and seamlessly into the internationally available data base. Except in cases of significant infection, it is not reasonable to apply this testing as a means of excluding or hindering travel.
    Reliable, consistent and shared data collection through shared testing results is an essential COVID-19 management tool. The processes are a travel irritation, but there’s no reason they should be used to hinder or prevent travel by Chinese or any other tourists. Chinese tourists, like those from any other country, can be welcomed as a vital component of a re-emerging global tourism industry and that helps to drive the global economy.
CGTN