China and the West should cooperate as world faces ‘interlocking crisis’, UN official says

Public health is one area with ‘incredible opportunities’ for collaboration, according to United Nations’ top representative in China

Siddharth Chatterjee also expects there will be more chances for Beijing and Washington to work together on climate change

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Siddharth Chatterjee, the UN’s resident coordinator in China, says the world is confronted with “an interlocking crisis of proportions we’ve never seen before”. Photo: Edmond So

Published: 10:00pm, 5 Oct 2023Updated: 10:34pm, 5 Oct 2023

Public health is an area where Beijing and the West should be collaborating as the world faces an “interlocking crisis”, according to the United Nations’ top representative in China.

Siddharth Chatterjee said in an interview in Hong Kong that Covid-19 “should have been an important reminder”.

“It’s also been a great teacher: just one microscopic disease upended the global economies, upended global health systems,” he said.

“Let’s invest in public health. Let’s invest not just in China’s public health, but the public health systems across the world, because a healthy population will lead to future prosperity.”

The UN’s top representative in China said Covid-19 “should have been an important reminder” and called for investment in public health systems worldwide. Photo: Chinatopix via AP

Chatterjee, who has been the UN’s resident coordinator in China since 2021, said the world was seeing situations – ranging from health to climate, inequality and conflicts – that would take global efforts to address.