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Coronavirus tests China’s ambitions as a global health leader
- Beijing’s response to virus crisis has won plaudits from the World Health Organisation
- Questions remain over timeliness and accuracy of Chinese response to the emerging outbreak
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China’s handling of the deadly coronavirus outbreak has become a testing ground for its emergence as a global health power after nearly two decades of stepped-up efforts aimed at overturning its poor track record during the Sars epidemic of 2003.
The Philippines reported the first overseas death from the virus on Sunday, which also marked the end of the extended Lunar New Year holiday. The number of cases is expected to rise as tens of millions of Chinese prepare to travel home, after their plans were delayed in a bid to reduce the spread of the disease.
The World Health Organisation’s director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has repeatedly lauded China’s efforts in dealing with the new coronavirus, which was declared a “public health emergency of international concern” on Thursday, overturning the WHO’s assessment of the previous week.
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The declaration puts the global response to the crisis – which originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan and has so far killed more than 300 people and infected nearly 15,000, with cases reported in more than 20 countries – on the same level as severe acute respiratory syndrome, the 2009 H1N1 swine flu, the Ebola outbreaks of 2014 and the Zika virus in 2016.
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“Let me be clear, this declaration is not a vote of no confidence in China. On the contrary, WHO continues to have confidence in China’s capacity to control the outbreak,” Ghebreyesus said.
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