The COVID-19 pandemic has once again demonstrated that mankindis a community with a shared future that shares weal and woe. Only withsolidarity and cooperation can the international community prevail over ourcommon enemy and safeguard the planet.

 

Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday called for a resoluteall-out global war against the COVID-19 outbreak as leaders of the Group of 20(G20) convened an extraordinary summit to coordinate multilateral response tothe pandemic.

"It is imperative for the international community tostrengthen confidence, act with unity and work together in a collectiveresponse," Xi addressed the summit via video link in Beijing.

Calling major infectious disease the enemy of all, Xi said theinternational community must comprehensively step up international cooperationand foster greater synergy so that humanity as one could win the battle againstthe COVID-19.

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the G20 ExtraordinaryVirtual Leaders' Summit on COVID-19 via video link in Beijing, capital ofChina, March 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

The summit came as the global death toll from the COVID-19, anillness caused by novel coronavirus, has climbed over 21,000 and the number ofinfections has surpassed 480,000 as of Thursday, according to a count by JohnsHopkins University.

This is the first time for the leaders of the world's 20 majoreconomies to hold a summit online since the mechanism, which used to only gatherfinance ministers and central bankers, was elevated to be the world's premierplatform for international economic cooperation in 2008.

Stressing the outbreak is spreading worldwide and the situationis disturbing and unsettling, Xi called on countries to move swiftly to stemthe spread of the virus.

He proposed that a G20 health ministers' meeting be convened asquick as possible to improve information sharing, strengthen cooperation ondrugs, vaccines and epidemic control, and cut off cross-border infections.

Xi also proposed a G20 COVID-19 assistance initiative for betterinformation sharing and policy and action coordination with the support of theWorld Health Organization (WHO).

Guided by the vision of building a community with a sharedfuture for mankind, China will be more than ready to share its good practicesand provide assistance in its capacity to countries hit by the growingoutbreak, he said.

The summit was chaired by Saudi Arabia's King Salman binAbdulaziz Al Saud. The kingdom, which holds the presidency of the G20 thisyear, said it organized the extraordinary meeting to advance global efforts totackle the pandemic and its economic implications.

The leaders of G20 members were joined by their counterpartsfrom some invited countries, including Spain, Jordan, Singapore andSwitzerland, as well as the United Nations, the World Bank and otherinternational organizations, and the chairing states of some regionalorganizations.

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the G20 ExtraordinaryVirtual Leaders' Summit on COVID-19 via video link in Beijing, capital ofChina, March 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

COLLECTIVE RESPONSE

During his address, Xi called on countries to make a collectiveresponse for control and treatment at the international level.

China has set up its online COVID-19 knowledge center that isopen to all countries, said Xi.

He said it is imperative that countries pool their strengths andspeed up research and development of drugs, vaccines and testing capabilitiesin the hope to achieve early breakthrough to the benefit of all.

China supports WHO in leading the global efforts to developscience-based and proper control and treatment and minimize cross-borderspread, said Xi, calling on G20 members to enhance anti-epidemic informationsharing with the support of WHO and to promote control and treatment protocolsthat are comprehensive, systematic and effective.

He called for a high-level meeting on international publichealth security to be convened in due course.

Leaders of other participating countries and organizationsagreed that the fast-spreading outbreak not only severely threatenedinternational public health security, but also cast a huge shadow over worldeconomy, finance and politics.

Facing the common crisis for humanity, no country can keepitself away from the spread of the virus, leaders said, calling for solidarityand more swift and concerted efforts than ever.

"The summit has released a strong signal of unity andcoordination among the G20 members," Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu saidThursday night, adding that all sides voiced commitment to enhancingcooperation to jointly tackle the crisis.

The agreement made by G20 leaders to share information in atimely manner, guarantee medical supplies and provide assistance to developingcountries, especially the least developing countries, explore joint preventionand control measures has rallied global efforts to fight the pandemic, Ma said.

MACRO-ECONOMIC POLICY COORDINATION

The outbreak has disrupted production and demand across theglobe and forced hundreds of millions of people around the world into homeisolation.

Countries need to leverage and coordinate their macro policiesto counteract the negative impact and prevent the world economy from fallinginto recession, said Xi.

He urged countries to implement strong and effective fiscal andmonetary policies, better coordinate financial regulation and jointly keep theglobal industrial and supply chains stable.

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the G20 Extraordinary VirtualLeaders' Summit on COVID-19 via video link in Beijing, capital of China, March26, 2020. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

"What China will do in this regard is to increase itssupply of active pharmaceutical ingredients, daily necessities, andanti-epidemic and other supplies to the international market," said Xi,adding that China will continue to advance reform and opening-up and contributeto a stable world economy.

Xi called on all G20 members to restore confidence for globaleconomic recovery by cutting tariffs, removing barriers, and facilitating theunfettered flow of trade.

Comprising 19 countries plus the European Union, the G20 membersaccount for about two thirds of the entire human population and some 86 percentof the gross world product.

Leaders agreed to take effective fiscal and monetary policies,ensure global industrial and supply chains stable and strive to reduce thedamages caused by the pandemic on world economy.

Ruan Zongze, executive vice president at the China Institute ofInternational Studies, said Xi's remarks at the summit has infused confidencein the international community as the situation in China is moving steadily ina positive direction after a strenuous struggle with targeted measures.

On the other side, China's promise to provide countries withurgently-needed medical supplies, impose no limitation on export and safeguardthe stability of industrial and supply chains will also inject vitality intothe world economy, said Ruan.