Page 16 - 2021 White Paper
P. 16
1 White Paper on the Business Environment in China
1.1The Covid-19 Pandemic
From the Beginning Wuhan, but by that time, about five million people
had already left. Reasons for leaving included
The Covid-19 global pandemic is the returning to hometowns for the Chinese New Year
most extensive to afflict humanity or leaving for vacation, but some left because of
in a century. A serious crisis for the entire world, fear of Covid-19. By June 2020, the virus had been
and a daunting challenge, it poses a grave threat identified in every province or autonomous region
to human life and health. From the beginning, in China, although the highest number of cases
China launched a resolute battle to prevent and was still in Wuhan. As of January 23, the date of
control its spread. China adopted extensive, the Wuhan lockdown, the Gansu Provincial Centre
stringent, and thorough containment measures. for Disease Control and Prevention in Lanzhou,
1.4 billion Chinese people have exhibited China had identified only two cases of Covid-19
enormous tenacity and solidarity in erecting a in Lanzhou, the capital of Ganzu Province. One
defensive rampart that demonstrates their power patient had traveled from Wuhan and another
in the face of such natural disasters. Having forged had been in contact with persons from Wuhan.
the idea that the world is a global community of Within two weeks, however, 54 cases of Covid-19
shared future, and believing that it must act as a in Gansu Province were confirmed, indicating the
responsible member, China has fought shoulder seriousness of this outbreak and triggering the
to shoulder with the rests of the world. In an alarm for the Gansu Province government to make
open, transparent, and responsible manner and it mandatory that face masks be worn in public
in accordance with the law, China gave timely places (Fan et al.).
notification to the international community of the
onset of a new coronavirus, and shared without The coronavirus epidemic in China exposed
reserve its experience in containing the spread of the nation’s over-reliance on big hospitals in cities
the virus and treating the infected (China Daily, and problems with its response to emergencies.
Fighting Covid-19). William Hsiao, the K.T. Li Research Professor of
Economics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of
The outbreak of coronavirus disease (often Public Health in Boston noted in late February
referred to in the White Paper as Covid-19, 2020 that China’s leaders needed to be more
coronavirus, or simply Covid) was first reported “nuanced about transparenc y,” especially when
on December 31, 2019, in Wuhan, China. The virus it comes to dealing with diseases like Covid-19.
spread rapidly throughout China over the next The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
few weeks and within a month to several other (CDC) confirmed the first case in the US of the
countries, including Italy, the US, and Germany. virus on 21 January. The patient had recently
Difficulty controlling such aggressive spread returned from Wuhan, China, where an outbreak
resulted partly from the size of Wuhan, which has of pneumonia caused by this novel coronavirus
an official population of over nine million and a had been ongoing since December 2019. While
transient population of an additional 5.10 million, originally thought to be spreading from animal-
for a total population of about 14 million people. to-person, there were growing indications that
Wuhan is located in central China and has a wide limited person-to-person spread was happening.
range of transportation links, including airplanes, It was unclear at this point how easily this virus
trains, interstate buses, and private transportation. was spreading between people. The patient
In an attempt to reduce virus transmission, sought care at a medical facility in the state of
on January 23, 2020, authorities locked down Washington, where the patient was treated for the
16
1.1The Covid-19 Pandemic
From the Beginning Wuhan, but by that time, about five million people
had already left. Reasons for leaving included
The Covid-19 global pandemic is the returning to hometowns for the Chinese New Year
most extensive to afflict humanity or leaving for vacation, but some left because of
in a century. A serious crisis for the entire world, fear of Covid-19. By June 2020, the virus had been
and a daunting challenge, it poses a grave threat identified in every province or autonomous region
to human life and health. From the beginning, in China, although the highest number of cases
China launched a resolute battle to prevent and was still in Wuhan. As of January 23, the date of
control its spread. China adopted extensive, the Wuhan lockdown, the Gansu Provincial Centre
stringent, and thorough containment measures. for Disease Control and Prevention in Lanzhou,
1.4 billion Chinese people have exhibited China had identified only two cases of Covid-19
enormous tenacity and solidarity in erecting a in Lanzhou, the capital of Ganzu Province. One
defensive rampart that demonstrates their power patient had traveled from Wuhan and another
in the face of such natural disasters. Having forged had been in contact with persons from Wuhan.
the idea that the world is a global community of Within two weeks, however, 54 cases of Covid-19
shared future, and believing that it must act as a in Gansu Province were confirmed, indicating the
responsible member, China has fought shoulder seriousness of this outbreak and triggering the
to shoulder with the rests of the world. In an alarm for the Gansu Province government to make
open, transparent, and responsible manner and it mandatory that face masks be worn in public
in accordance with the law, China gave timely places (Fan et al.).
notification to the international community of the
onset of a new coronavirus, and shared without The coronavirus epidemic in China exposed
reserve its experience in containing the spread of the nation’s over-reliance on big hospitals in cities
the virus and treating the infected (China Daily, and problems with its response to emergencies.
Fighting Covid-19). William Hsiao, the K.T. Li Research Professor of
Economics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of
The outbreak of coronavirus disease (often Public Health in Boston noted in late February
referred to in the White Paper as Covid-19, 2020 that China’s leaders needed to be more
coronavirus, or simply Covid) was first reported “nuanced about transparenc y,” especially when
on December 31, 2019, in Wuhan, China. The virus it comes to dealing with diseases like Covid-19.
spread rapidly throughout China over the next The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
few weeks and within a month to several other (CDC) confirmed the first case in the US of the
countries, including Italy, the US, and Germany. virus on 21 January. The patient had recently
Difficulty controlling such aggressive spread returned from Wuhan, China, where an outbreak
resulted partly from the size of Wuhan, which has of pneumonia caused by this novel coronavirus
an official population of over nine million and a had been ongoing since December 2019. While
transient population of an additional 5.10 million, originally thought to be spreading from animal-
for a total population of about 14 million people. to-person, there were growing indications that
Wuhan is located in central China and has a wide limited person-to-person spread was happening.
range of transportation links, including airplanes, It was unclear at this point how easily this virus
trains, interstate buses, and private transportation. was spreading between people. The patient
In an attempt to reduce virus transmission, sought care at a medical facility in the state of
on January 23, 2020, authorities locked down Washington, where the patient was treated for the
16
